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Reminiscence and grief resolution through online journalling: mixed-methods analysis of the Living Memory Home bereavement cohort

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 October 2025

Courtney E. Lee
Affiliation:
Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
Holly G. Prigerson*
Affiliation:
Cornell Center for Research on End-of-Life Care, New York, NY, USA Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
Francesca Falzarano
Affiliation:
Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Madeline Rogers
Affiliation:
Cornell Center for Research on End-of-Life Care, New York, NY, USA
Francesco Osso
Affiliation:
Cornell Center for Research on End-of-Life Care, New York, NY, USA
Sosi Korian
Affiliation:
Cornell Center for Research on End-of-Life Care, New York, NY, USA
Charlotte LaPlante
Affiliation:
Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
Madison Pavao
Affiliation:
Cornell Center for Research on End-of-Life Care, New York, NY, USA
Jin Pyon
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
Wan Jou She
Affiliation:
Department of Information and Human Sciences, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Japan
Hillary Winoker
Affiliation:
Cornell Center for Research on End-of-Life Care, New York, NY, USA
Alexandra Pitman
Affiliation:
Division of Psychiatry, University College London, UK North London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
Kailey Roberts
Affiliation:
Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, New York, NY, USA
Paul K. Maciejewski
Affiliation:
Cornell Center for Research on End-of-Life Care, New York, NY, USA Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
*
Correspondence: Holly G. Prigerson. Email: hgp2001@med.cornell.edu
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Abstract

Background

Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) is a chronic, impairing state of intense grief that is responsive to specialised intervention. Online journalling has the potential to reduce PGD symptoms.

Aims

To assess whether reminiscence via online journalling facilitates bereavement adjustment – specifically, to identify key themes in online grief journals and examine associations between types of reminiscence and changes in PGD symptom severity.

Method

A cohort of 96 bereaved adults completed 7 days of online journalling on the Living Memory Home (LMH) bereavement website. Participants were recruited from clinics, bereavement support groups and a National Institutes of Health-funded, web-based platform. The Prolonged Grief Disorder-Revised scale (PG-13-R) was administered at baseline and at 1-week and 1-month follow-up.

Results

Descriptive analysis revealed a reduction in PG-13-R scores from baseline to 1-week follow-up (mean difference −3.7, 95% CI: −4.9, −2.5, P < 0.001) and 1-month follow-up (mean difference −5.0, 95% CI: −6.4, −3.7. P < 0.001). Mixed-methods analysis revealed significant negative associations between reflection on negative traits of the deceased and PG-13-R score at all three time points, and between reflection on past experiences with the deceased and PG-13-R score at baseline. Expression of regret and guilt was significantly associated with reduction in PG-13-R scores from 1-week to 1-month follow-up.

Conclusions

Engagement in the LMH website demonstrated significant declines in PGD symptom severity after 1 week of online journalling and at 1-month follow-up. Guided reflection on memories of the deceased, and even on negative or emotionally challenging memories, shows potential for reducing symptoms of PGD.

Information

Type
Paper
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Royal College of Psychiatrists
Figure 0

Table 1 Sample demographic and loss-related characteristics

Figure 1

Table 2 Grief severity (Prolonged Grief Disorder-Revised scale, PG-13-R) at baseline, 1 week, 1 month and change from baseline

Figure 2

Table 3 Spearman correlations between participant characteristics and outcomes, grief severity (Prolonged Grief Disorder-Revised scale, PG-13-R) and code frequency

Figure 3

Table 4 Spearman partial correlations between grief severity (Prolonged Grief Disorder-Revised scale, PG-13-R, scores) and code frequency

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