New study offers hope for parents struggling with grief after Child's cancer death
NCT ID NCT05142605
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 02, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study compares three support programs for parents who lost a child to cancer at least six months ago and still have high grief levels. The programs include Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy, Supportive Counseling, and Enhanced Usual Care. Researchers will measure changes in grief and depression symptoms to see which approach helps most.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 415 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2022
- Expected to finish
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May 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Parent Participant Inclusion Criteria: * A biological, adoptive, step-parent or legal guardian from across the United States who lost a child diagnosed with cancer as indicated by self-report * Age 18 or older as indicated by self-report * Experienced the loss of a child diagnosed with cancer at least 6 months prior to enrollment as indicated by medical record or self-report * Elevated prolonged grief (PG) symptoms (PG-13-R scores of 30 or above) * Resides in a state in which a study clinical supervisor is licensed to permit telepsychology practice or otherwise able to comply with current telehealth regulations as indicated by self-report * English-speaking as per the language assessment items below and willing to receive the intervention in English * What is the participant's preferred language? °(Specify Lang)\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ * How well does the participant speak English? * Very well (PARTICIPANT IS ELIGIBLE) * Well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE) * Not well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE) * Not at all (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE) * Individuals who are pregnant per self-report are eligible to participate Support Provider Inclusion Criteria: * Must be age 18 or over as indicated by self-report * Has been identified by the bereaved parent participant as a support or someone important to bereaved parent * Resides in a state in which a study clinical supervisor is licensed to permit telepsychology practice or otherwise able to comply with current telehealth regulations as indicated by self-report * English-speaking as per the language assessment items below and willing to receive the intervention in English * What is the participant's preferred language? °(Specify Lang)\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ * How well does the participant speak English? * Very well (PARTICIPANT IS ELIGIBLE) * Well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE) * Not well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE) * Not at all (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE) * Individuals who are pregnant per self-report are eligible to participate. Family Participant Inclusion Criteria: * A biological, adoptive, step-parent or legal guardian from across the United States who lost a child diagnosed with cancer as indicated by self-report * Age 18 or older as indicated by self-report * Experienced the loss of a child diagnosed with cancer at least 6 months prior to enrollment as indicated by medical record or self-report * Resides in a state in which a study clinical supervisor is licensed to permit telepsychology practice or otherwise able to comply with current telehealth regulations as indicated by self-report * English-speaking as per the language assessment items below and willing to receive the intervention in English * What is the participant's preferred language? °(Specify Lang)\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ * How well does the participant speak English? * Very well (PARTICIPANT IS ELIGIBLE) * Well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE) * Not well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE) * Not at all (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE) * Individuals who are pregnant per self-report are eligible to participate. Training Case Inclusion Criteria: * A biological, adoptive, step-parent, or legal guardian from across the United States as indicated by self-report * Age 18 or older as indicated by self-report * Experienced the loss of a child at least 6 months prior to enrollment as indicated by medical record or self-report * Score of 29 or below on the PG-13-R OR lost a child to a cause other than cancer OR child's additional guardian has consented as a Parent Participant and has not provided permission to share participation status OR past participants who indicate an interest in serving as a training case and, in the judgment of the Principal Investigator, would be appropriate to enroll as a training case * Resides in a state in which a study clinical supervisor is licensed to permit telepsychology practice or otherwise able to comply with current telehealth regulations as indicated by self-report * English-speaking as per the language assessment items below and willing to receive the intervention in English * What is the participant's preferred language? ° (Specify Lang)\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ * How well does the participant speak English? * Very well (PARTICIPANT IS ELIGIBLE) * Well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE) * Not well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE) * Not at all (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE) * Individuals who are pregnant per self-report are eligible to participate. Training Case Support Provider Inclusion Criteria: * Must be age 18 or over as indicated by self-report * Has been identified by the bereaved parent training case participant as a support or someone important to bereaved parent * Resides in a state in which a study clinical supervisor is licensed to permit telepsychology practice or otherwise able to comply with current telehealth regulations as indicated by self-report * English-speaking as per the language assessment items below and willing to receive the intervention in English * What is the participant's preferred language? ° (Specify Lang)\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ * How well does the participant speak English? * Very well (PARTICIPANT IS ELIGIBLE) * Well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE) * Not well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE) * Not at all (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE) * Individuals who are pregnant per self-report are eligible to participate. Parent Participant Exclusion Criteria: * Significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator/study staff's judgment, to preclude completion of the assessment measures, interview or informed consent * Inability to access a functional device for videoconferencing and declines offer to use a study loaner device as indicated by self-report * Prisoners * Participants unable to consent Support Provider Exclusion Criteria: * Significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator/study staff's judgment, to preclude informed consent * Inability to access a computer with Internet as indicated by self-report * Prisoners * Participants unable to consent Family Participant Exclusion Criteria: * Significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator/study staff's judgment, to preclude informed consent * Inability to access a computer with Internet as indicated by self-report * Prisoners * Participants unable to consent Training Case Exclusion Criteria: * Significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator/study staff's judgment, to preclude completion of the assessment measures, interview or informed consent * Inability to access a functional device for videoconferencing and declines offer to use a study loaner device as indicated by self-report * Prisoners * Participants unable to consent Training Case Support Provider Exclusion Criteria * Significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator/study staff's judgment, to preclude informed consent * Inability to access a computer with Internet as indicated by self-report * Prisoners * Participants unable to consent
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
5 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Data Collection Only)
RECRUITINGPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
RECRUITINGNew York, New York, 10065, United States
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St Jude's Children's Hospital (Data collection only)
RECRUITINGMemphis, Tennessee, 38105, United States
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Stanford University (Data Collection Only)
RECRUITINGStanford, California, 94305, United States
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University of Miami
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGMiami, Florida, 33136, United States
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