Study Updates and Preliminary Findings
Friends and family members who were eligible and consented for Stepping Forward in Grief were assigned to one of two conditions: WellnessSteps or GriefSteps. WellnessSteps participants were given access to a program that provided information and activities about self-care and wellness strategies. GriefSteps participants accessed an app that provided information and activities related to grief adaptation. Each participant was also assigned a guide who was available to assist them with questions about how to use the app. Five hundred and fifty-eight participants were randomly assigned to one of these two programs: 281 were in Grief Steps and 277 were in Wellness Steps. Participants were given access to their assigned programs for 6 months.
During the study period, participants completed two follow-up assessments — one 3 months and one 6 months following study enrollment. These assessments consisted of a phone interview and an online survey that will be used to evaluate each program’s effect on participants’ adaptation to grief, as well as other psychological measures. Participants also completed a satisfaction survey about the program.
The team is currently analyzing the completed assessments and satisfaction surveys. Of the 558 participants in our randomized sample, 407 participants completed the phone interview and 328 completed the online survey at the 3 month assessment. At the 6-month assessment, 451 participants completed the phone interview and 413 completed the online survey. 411 participants in the randomized sample completed the satisfaction survey.
Please check this website for periodic updates about the study’s findings. For information about our other military family grief study, the National Military Family Bereavement Study, please visit militarysurvivorstudy.org.