Culturally sensitive grief interventions: a scoping review protocol

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to understand the extent and type of evidence in relation to culturally sensitive interventions for bereaved individuals. A particular aim is to inform future research on the development of grief interventions. Introduction: Prolonged grief disorder is associated with a range of negative psychosocial consequences, making treatment crucial for affected individuals. Culture plays a large role in the expression of grief, mourning rituals and practices or the meaning of and beliefs about death. Although there is growing interest in culturally sensitive interventions for grief, the current literature lacks a comprehensive synthesis of evidence. A scoping review is considered appropriate to fill this gap. Inclusion criteria: This review will include sources with participants having experienced bereavement following the loss of a loved one and having taken part in a culturally sensitive psychosocial grief intervention. Studies conducted in non-WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) contexts or studies targeting a cultural or subcultural group outside the majority group (regarding age, religion, sexual orientation, etc.) will be included. Methods: This review will be conducted following the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Searches will be conducted in 11 databases (Scopus, Embase, Cochrane, Sociological Abstracts, IBSS, PTSDpubs, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, CINAHL, SocINDEX and Web of Science). Limits include language (English and German) and publication date (from 2000). The two-step screening process (titles and abstracts, full text) will be piloted, data extracted and collated. Results from the data extraction will be presented in a narrative summary and tabular form