Dialogical Exposure with Traumatically Bereaved Bosnian Women: Findings from a Controlled Trial

Abstract

Research attests to high levels of symptoms among post-war civil populations, in particular, when a loved one was killed, which can lead not only to trauma reactions but also to severe separation distress. Grieving the loss of a loved one is hampered if the death remains unconfirmed. Unconfirmed loss could be conceptualized as unfinished business in terms of Gestalt therapy, which offers empty-chair dialogue for resolving unfinished business and grief. Dialogical exposure therapy (DET) supports the client in gaining awareness of and expressing his or her inner dialogues concerning the traumatic event, using Gestalt empty-chair method. Short-term DET was effective in treating traumatically bereaved women but showed little additional effects in comparison with a supportive group treatment, so further research is warranted.

The Impact of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Interventions on People Affected by Humanitarian Emergencies: A systematic review

“…Four studies 120,124,125,131 evaluated programmes that targeted only women; one study 143 included only male participants in a yoga-based intervention. One study evaluated the impact of an MHPSS programme for widowed and orphaned survivors of the 1994 Rwanda genocide, and one the impact of a programme for internally displaced populations in Uganda.…”

“…127 Six quasi-randomized controlled studies were judged to be high risk of bias. 120,126,129,131,132,138 …”

“…126,134,135 Four studies were rated as being unclear risk of bias. 120,129,131,132 The majority of the studies provided information indicating that outcome assessors were blinded to group allocation.…”

“…Six studies 121,122,124,127,128,131 (five high and one low risk of bias) were included in the metaanalysis assessing the impact of CBT on PTSD, depression, functional impairment, fear/avoidance, grief, emotional problems, anxiety, conduct problems and common mental health problems. The findings from the meta-analysis suggest that CBT may improve symptoms of PTSD (+) and depression (+) and may slightly reduce grief (+) in adult populations affected by humanitarian crises.…”

“…121,122 One RCT assessed a CBT intervention designed for survivors of terrorist attacks in southern Thailand. 128 One study 131 assessed the impact of dialogical exposure on women who had lost their husbands during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. One study 124 evaluated cognitive processing therapy (CPT) designed for female survivors of sexual violence.…”