NCT06679452

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

Emotion, Aging and Forgiveness: Protocol of a Feasibility and Acceptability Study of Emotion-Focused Therapy for Older Individuals

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 70 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Maia · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

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.

Conditions

• Emotion-Focused Therapy
• Aging
• Forgiveness

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Emotion-Focused Therapy	This feasibility protocol is a two-arm, parallel, double-blinded, RCT aimed at informing a future trial assessing the effectiveness of EFT in resolving emotional injuries in older adults in the context of interpersonal offenses.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-04-01
• Primary completion: 2025-12-01
• Completion: 2025-12-31
• First posted: 2024-11-07
• Last updated: 2024-11-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Portugal