ICD-11 Prolonged Grief Disorder: Measurement, Risk Factors and Treatment Implications at Ulster University on FindAPhD.com

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Prof Mark Shevlin No more applications being accepted Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Coleraine United Kingdom Counselling Counselling Psychology Occupational Psychology

About the Project

Almost everyone will, at some point in their life, experience the death of a loved one, and this can have a profound psychological impact. Bereavement is ubiquitous, but how and when it becomes a psychological ‘disorder’ has been widely debated with different conceptualizations having been proposed (e.g. traumatic grief, complicated grief, complex grief: See Simon et al., 2020 and Maciejewski et al., 2016). The most recent revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11, World Health Organisation) has included a ‘Prolonged Grief Disorder’ diagnosis (PGD: Killikelly & Maercker, 2018) with the aims of improving clinical utility and international applicability. The ICD-11 Prolonged Grief Disorder Scale (IPGDS: Killikelly et al., 2020) has been developed to assess the core symptom set of preoccupation and yearning and the additional symptoms of emotional distress.

The proposed programme of research aims to

(1) assess the latent structure of PGD as measured by the IPGDS,

(2) determine the distinctiveness of PGD in relation to mood and anxiety disorders,

(3) investigate the similarity of PGD and other stress-related disorders,

(4) estimate the prevalence of PGD in the UK population, and

(5) identify important demographic and psychological predictors of PGD.

These aims will be met using survey data from a nationally representative sample of UK adults that was conducted as part of the COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium Study (www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology-consortium-covid19). Latent variable modelling techniques, for which training will be offered, will be used to analyse the data and results will be written-up for publication. This research will be collaborative in nature, working closely with experts in the area of prolonged grief from Denmark (see The Aarhus Bereavement Study) andtrauma researchers from The International Trauma Consortium (https://www.traumameasuresglobal.com/).

Alongside the empirical research work, the successful candidate will also be responsible for conducting an audit on organisations that provide grief-related treatment and support, such as Cruse Bereavement Care, and begin to establish relationships.

The aim is, ultimately, to identify aspects of their provision that could benefit from using reliable and valid measures of grief and identify where our research findings could help improve service delivery.

Essential Shortlisting Criteria

Applicants should have (or expect to hold) an Upper Second Class Honours (2:1) or First Class Honours Degree in Psychology.

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

Experience using research methods or other approaches relevant to the subject domain
A comprehensive and articulate personal statement
Research proposal of 1500 words detailing aims, objectives, milestones and methodology of the project
A demonstrable interest in the research area associated with the studentship

Funding and eligibility

Ulster University’s Annual PhD Scholarship Competition offers the chance for those interested in undertaking PhD research to have their full-time study paid for.

Department for the Economy and Vice-Chancellor's Research scholarships are available to home and overseas applicants, with three years of fees paid, an annual non-taxable maintenance grant of approx. £15,600, a Research Training and Support grant of £900 per year and access to paid teaching opportunities.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies. Further information on cost of living

Recommended reading

Killikelly, C., Zhou, N., Merzhvynska, M., Stelzer, E. M., Dotschung, T., Rohner, S., ... & Maercker, A. (2020). Development of the International Prolonged Grief Disorder Scale for the ICD-11: measurement of core symptoms and culture items adapted for Chinese and German-speaking samples. Journal of Affective Disorders, 277, 568-576.

Killikelly, C., & Maercker, A. (2018). Prolonged grief disorder for ICD-11: the primacy of clinical utility and international applicability. European journal of psychotraumatology, 8(Suppl 6), 1476441. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2018.1476441

Maciejewski, P. K., Maercker, A., Boelen, P. A., & Prigerson, H. G. (2016). “Prolonged grief disorder” and “persistent complex bereavement disorder”, but not “complicated grief”, are one and the same diagnostic entity: an analysis of data from the Yale Bereavement Study. World Psychiatry, 15(3), 266-275.

Simon, N. M., Shear, M. K., Reynolds, C. F., Cozza, S. J., Mauro, C., Zisook, S., ... & Lebowitz, B. (2020). Commentary on evidence in support of a grief‐related condition as a DSM diagnosis. Depression and anxiety, 37(1), 9-16. Systematic Reviews

Heeke, C., Kampisiou, C., Niemeyer, H., & Knaevelsrud, C. (2019). A systematic review and meta-analysis of correlates of prolonged grief disorder in adults exposed to violent loss. European journal of psychotraumatology, 10(1),1583524. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2019.1583524

Johannsen, M., Damholdt, M. F., Zachariae, R., Lundorff, M., Farver-Vestergaard, I., & O'Connor, M. (2019). Psychological interventions for grief in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of affective disorders, 253, 69-86.

Lundorff, M., Holmgren, H., Zachariae, R., Farver-Vestergaard, I., & O’Connor, M. (2017). Prevalence of prolonged grief disorder in adult bereavement: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of affective disorders, 212, 138-149.