“In the Same Storm, but Not on the Same Boat”: Children Grief During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Albuquerque, Sara; Santos, Ana Rita de Oliveira dos

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.638866

Cited by 30 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Research has shown that childhood bereavement increases the risk of adverse outcomes across the life-course (2)(3)(4)(5). In pre-pandemic times it is estimated that 5 to 20% of bereaved children and adolescents develop psychiatric difficulties (6,7), with predictions that this may increase during the pandemic (8,9), along with psycho-social, educational and workplace problems (9). During Covid-19 it has been suggested that children may be at enhanced risk for negative mental health impacts, given their limited capacity to fully understand their surroundings and control their environments (8), and the known effects of loneliness and social isolation on depression and anxiety amongst children and adolescents (10).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In pre-pandemic times it is estimated that 5 to 20% of bereaved children and adolescents develop psychiatric difficulties (6,7), with predictions that this may increase during the pandemic (8,9), along with psycho-social, educational and workplace problems (9). During Covid-19 it has been suggested that children may be at enhanced risk for negative mental health impacts, given their limited capacity to fully understand their surroundings and control their environments (8), and the known effects of loneliness and social isolation on depression and anxiety amongst children and adolescents (10). Various Covid-19-related risk factors for bereaved children and young people have been suggested, including bereavement after a sudden death, being unable to visit their dying family members, missing the funeral, and fear of further deaths within the family, whilst exposure to media reporting and other social abnormalities such as mask-wearing are constant reminders of their loss (8,11,12).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…High-level disruption to daily routines, relationships and support networks, especially during periods of prolonged school closure and lockdowns, are also likely to undermine the usual coping resources and mechanisms available to children and adolescents, including the possibility of respite from their grief (8,12). Strain on family life due to work or financial pressures, combined with parental grief, may also mean that is harder for parents to provide the emotional support that young people need, whilst perceived distress or vulnerability in the parents may also stop children from talking about their feelings (8,12,13). Pre-pandemic and pandemic research has also demonstrated maladaptive tendencies amongst adults to try to protect children by not talking about the death pre-and postbereavement (8,(14)(15)(16)(17), uncertainty about how best to prepare children for the death (15,18), and difficulties maintaining parenting roles in the midst of their own grief and disruption (4).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Parental perspectives on the grief and support needs of children and young people bereaved during the Covid-19 pandemic: Qualitative findings from a national survey

Harrop

Goss

Longo

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: During the Covid-19 pandemic, many children and young people have experienced the death of close family members, whilst also facing unprecedented disruption to their lives. This study aimed to investigate the experiences and support needs of bereaved children and young people from the perspective of their parents and guardians. Methods: We analysed cross-sectional qualitative free-text data from a survey of adults bereaved in the UK during the pandemic. Participants were recruited via media, social media, national associations and community/charitable organisations. Thematic analysis was conducted on free text data collected from parent/guardian participants in response to a survey question on the bereavement experiences and support needs of their children. Results: Free-text data from 104 parent and grandparent participants was included. Three main themes were identified: the pandemic-related challenges and struggles experienced by children and young people; family support and coping; and support from schools and services. Pandemic-related challenges include the impacts of being separated from the relative prior to their death, isolation from peers and other family members, and disruption to daily routines and wider support networks. Examples were given of effective family coping and communication, but also of difficulties relating to parental grief and childrens existing mental health problems. School and bereavement service provision of specialist support was valued, but there was evidence of unmet need, with some participants reporting a lack of access to specialist grief or mental health support. Conclusion: Children and young people have faced additional strains and challenges associated with pandemic bereavement. We recommend resources and initiatives that facilitate supportive communication within family and school settings, adequate resourcing of school and community-based specialist bereavement/mental health services, and increased information and signposting to the support that is available.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Parental perspectives on the grief and support needs of children and young people bereaved during the Covid-19 pandemic: Qualitative findings from a national survey

Harrop

Goss

Longo

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Children. Albuquerque and Santos (2021) write that children could lack a proper support system during the grieving process during this pandemic. This could be because of the loss of loved ones to COVID or because their support systems are themselves in the grieving process.…”

Section: Development Period and The Experience Of Griefmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Many Faces of Grief: A Systematic Literature Review of Grief During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Kumar

2021

Illness, Crisis & Loss

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has halted life all around the world. The disease, along with quarantine, social distancing, unemployment, and displacement, has led to myriad losses. There is a rising concern for the epidemic of grief that can result from these multiple losses. The present study aimed to investigate how grief is understood and discussed in the extant literature during the COVID pandemic. A systematic literature review was conducted using PsycArticles, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. The qualitative synthesis of 33 articles indicates that grief can be manifested at various levels such as grief for self, relational grief, collective grief, and ecological grief. Another theme emphasizes some of the factors that could intensify the grief process leading to prolonged grief disorder. A third theme relates to the focus of grief processes as experienced by individuals in different developmental periods from childhood to senescence. The study contributes theoretically by expanding our perception and understanding of varied forms of grief.

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“…Poor education about death and mourning processes, together with overprotective family and social attitudes, moves children away from death to avoid what is considered an "unnecessary suffering" (13,14). The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted these shortcomings (15,16) and the severe difficulties that individuals, but mostly society, have to manage grief 's complexity under adverse scenarios (17)(18)(19) and chronosystem pressure (20). The situation is worsened by multiple mourning, as to the loss of the loved ones, individuals add other material, economic, and social losses that increase the meaning and impact.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Ethnography Study of a Viral YouTube Educational Video in Ecuador: Dealing With Death and Grief in Times of COVID-19

Giménez-Llort

2021

Front. Psychiatry

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In Western societies, death is a social and educational taboo. Poor education about death and mourning processes and overprotective family and social attitudes move children away from death to avoid “unnecessary suffering.” The COVID-19 outbreak highlighted these shortcomings and the difficult management of grief's complexity under sudden and unexpected scenarios. The need for immediate and constant updates related to COVID-19 benefited from social media coverage's immediacy. The use of YouTube as a digital platform to disseminate/search for knowledge exploded, raising the need to conduct ethnographic studies to describe this community's people and culture and improve the booming social media's educational capacity and quality. The present virtual ethnography studied 255,862 YouTube views/users and their behavior related to “Vuela Mariposa, Vuela,” a children's story available online since 2009 (not monetized) about the cycle of life, death, and disenfranchised grief (not acknowledged by society) that went viral (+>999%) on May. To our knowledge, this case study is the first original research that explores the ethnography of (i) a viral video, (ii) on death and grief taboo topics, (iii) for prescholars, and (iv) before and during the COVID pandemic. The quantitative and qualitative analyses identified a change in the users' profiles, engagement, and feedback. During the previous 11 years, the users were 35–44 years old Mexican and Spanish women. Those in grief used narrative comments to explain their vital crisis and express their sorrow. In the pandemic, the analysis pointed to Ecuador as the virality geographical niche in a moment when the tragic scenarios in its streets were yet unknown. The timeline match with the official records confirmed the severity of their pandemic scenario. The viral video reached a broad population, with normal distribution for age, and including male gender. Engagement by non-subscribers, direct search (traffic sources), and mean visualization times suggested educational purposes as confirmed by the users' feedback with critical thinking referring to the cycle of life's meaning and societal mourning. For the youngest users, the video was part of academic assignments. The ethnography pointed at YouTube as a flexible education resource, immediately reaching diverse users, and being highly sensitive to critical events.

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“In the Same Storm, but Not on the Same Boat”: Children Grief During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 30 publications

References 20 publications

Parental perspectives on the grief and support needs of children and young people bereaved during the Covid-19 pandemic: Qualitative findings from a national survey

Parental perspectives on the grief and support needs of children and young people bereaved during the Covid-19 pandemic: Qualitative findings from a national survey

The Many Faces of Grief: A Systematic Literature Review of Grief During the COVID-19 Pandemic

An Ethnography Study of a Viral YouTube Educational Video in Ecuador: Dealing With Death and Grief in Times of COVID-19

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