Emotion, Aging, and Forgiveness: Protocol for a Feasibility of Randomized Controlled Trial

University of Maia

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Emotion-Focused Therapy; Aging; Forgiveness

Treatments: Other: Emotion-Focused Therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06679452

University Maia

Details and patient eligibility

About

Over recent decades, Emotion-Focused Therapy, aging, and forgiveness have garnered significant attention in the field of psychology. However, there is a lack of studies on Emotion-Focused Therapy and forgiveness specifically tailored for older adults. This article describes a protocol to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a Randomized Controlled Trial of Emotion-Focused Therapy for the resolution of emotional injury in individuals over the age of 65 in the context of interpersonal offenses. The study is structured as a two-arm, parallel-group randomized trial with a waiting list control. We propose recruiting a sample of 70 participants, randomly assigned to either an immediate intervention group, which will receive Emotion-Focused Therapy over twelve weekly sessions, or a control group that will receive the same therapy after a twelve-week waiting period. Data will be collected in the beginning, middle, and at the end of therapy, and in two planned follow-ups (three and six months after therapy). Once this protocol is implemented, if the therapy proves to be feasible, acceptable, and shows promising results, the findings will inform a large-scale randomized clinical trial to advance the understanding of psychotherapy.

Enrollment: 70 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Our eligibility criteria include being 65 years or older, having experienced an interpersonal offense, residing at home or in a senior residence, stable prescribed medication use, scoring ≥ 26 on the MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment), and fluency in Portuguese or English.

Exclusion criteria

• Exclusion criteria include reporting an offense which is less than a year old, severe emotional injuries (such as being a victim of domestic violence or abuse), psychiatric disorders, suicidal ideation, parasuicidal behavior, recent loss of a loved one, involvement in other therapies or clinical studies, current alcohol or drug abuse, living with another participant, and frequent hospitalizations.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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70 participants in 2 patient groups

35 participants randomly assigned to the EFT intervention

Experimental group

Description:

The research will include 35 individuals aged 65 years or older, of both genders, who meet the study's inclusion criteria. Therapy sessions will be conducted individually and in person, in offices suited for psychological practice. Participants residing in senior housing will have the option, subject to agreement with their institution, to have sessions conducted in their facilities. Each session will last one hour and occur weekly over a three-month period, resulting in a total of 12 sessions per participant, in accordance with the EFT protocol for resolving emotional injuries established by Meneses and Greenberg (2019) and adjusted for this population/purposes by Almeida and Cunha (2024);

Treatment:

Other: Emotion-Focused Therapy

35 participants include in a control group (CG).

No Intervention group

Description:

35 participants included in a control group (CG), in the form of a waitlist.