A bereavement support group reduced grief and distress in bereaved, homosexual men
Question In homosexual men who have lost a close friend or intimate partner to AIDS, does a bereavement support group reduce grief and overall distress?
Design
10 week randomised, unblinded, controlled trial.
Setting
Centres in the US.
Patients
197 homosexual men who were 18–65 years of age (mean age 38 y, 63% white, 58% HIV-1 seropositive), had lost a close friend or partner to AIDS in the previous 6 months, rated the loss as having a substantial negative effect, and were fluent in English. Exclusion criteria included prescribed medication that affected immune function, CD4 cell counts <0.05 x 109/l (50 cells/mm3), alcohol or substance dependence, previous or current psychiatric disorder, intravenous substance use in previous 2 years, surgery in the previous 6 months, smoking history of >50 pack years, and participation in …
