The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Grief Experiences of Bereaved Relatives: An Overview Review

Schaik, Tamara van; Brouwer, Marije; Knibbe, N.E.; Knibbe, Hanneke J J; Teunissen, Saskia

doi:10.1177/00302228221143861

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 40 publications

(229 reference statements)

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“…Among the stressors associated with loss, the current study identi ed di culties in being physically with the sick person, misinformation about the diagnosis and its evolution, di culties or impossibility of saying goodbye, changes in funeral rituals (time and capacity restrictions, forced cremations, prohibition of ceremonies) and lack of opportunities to give and receive physical and social support. All of these circumstances have been reported in previous studies (11)(12)(13)(15)(16)(17)(18). However, other previously unmentioned stressors have been identi ed, such as concerns about the quality of care, caregiver overload, conditions in residential care homes, saturation of the healthcare system and clashes with healthcare staff.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

“…The reviews (3,(11)(12)(13) and qualitative research (14)(15)(16)(17)(18) published to date on the experiences of bereaved people during COVID-19 all point to two main obstacles to the development of grief: not being able to say goodbye or be there at the end, and the di culties and changes in the way funeral rituals were carried out. Some of these studies have framed their ndings within one of the main theoretical models of grief, the Dual Process Model (DPM) (3,18).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Grief Responses During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in Spain

Redondo-Armenteros,

Pérez-Marfil,

Fernández-Alcántara

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Introduction: The recent COVID-19 pandemic led to a rise in the number of people bereaved by the death of a loved one. There are many pandemic-related stressors that may have further complicated grief in these people. The aim of this research was to analyse the shared experiences and strategies of those who lost a loved one during the pandemic. Method: The sample consists of 42 participants who lost loved ones to COVID-19 or other causes (both natural and sudden). An inductive approach using grounded theory with open, axial and selective coding was used to analyse the semi-structured open-ended interviews. Results: The resulting theory was structured around a central category: “Processes of Loss and Grief in Pandemics". The other relevant and related categories were: disease processes during the pandemic, emotional responses to the loss, factors facilitating the grieving process and obstacles to the grieving process. The various analytical categories were then further classified with reference to the Dual Process Model. Conclusion: This study highlights the main features of grief during the pandemic, including the impact of restrictive measures on disease processes, the funeral rituals performed and subsequent coping; responses such as intense shock, anger, fear or loneliness; and the way in which facilitating factors of the grief process were adapted to the circumstances.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grief Responses During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in Spain

Redondo-Armenteros,

Pérez-Marfil,

Fernández-Alcántara

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the bereavement process for many people who experienced the death of a family member or loved one. 1 – 4 The pandemic resulted in widespread restrictions on travel and gatherings, which made it difficult for people to be with their family members during their final moments or to attend funerals and other rituals to mark their deaths. 5 , 6 In addition, many experienced pronounced feelings of isolation and disconnection at a time when they most needed a sense of support and community.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term bereavement outcomes in family members of those who died in acute care hospitals before and during the first wave of COVID-19: A cohort study

Lapenskie,

Anderson,

Lawlor

et al. 2024

Palliat Med

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Background: Severe grief is highly distressing and prevalent up to 1 year post-death among people bereaved during the first wave of COVID-19, but no study has assessed changes in grief severity beyond this timeframe. Aim: Understand the trajectory of grief during the pandemic by reassessing grief symptoms in our original cohort 12–18 months post-death. Design: Prospective matched cohort study. Settings/participants: Family members of decedents who died in an acute care hospital between November 1, 2019 and August 31, 2020 in Ottawa, Canada. Family members of patients who died of COVID (COVID +ve) were matched 2:1 with those who died of non-COVID illness (COVID −ve) during pandemic wave 1 or immediately prior to its onset (pre-COVID). Grief was assessed using the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG). Results: Follow-up assessment was completed by 92% (111/121) of family members in the initial cohort. Mean ICG score on the 12–18-month assessment was 19.9 (SD = 11.8), and severe grief (ICG > 25) was present in 28.8% of participants. One-third (33.3%) had either a persistently high (>25) or worsening ICG score (⩾4-point increase between assessments). Using a modified Poisson regression analysis, persistently high or worsening ICG scores were associated with endotracheal intubation in the deceased, but not cause of death (COVID +ve, COVID −ve, pre-COVID) or physical presence of the family member in the final 48 h of life. Conclusions: Severe grief is a substantial source of psychological morbidity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, persisting more than a year post-death. Our findings highlight an acute need for effective and scalable means of addressing severe grief.

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“…Evidently, the pandemic “has disrupted grief experiences of bereaved relatives and altered accustomed ways of coping with loss” ( 4 ). Social isolation resulted in a lack of physical and emotional support for the dying by family and friends—who themselves felt lonely and disrupted ( 5 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The review by Stroebe and Schut on bereavement in times of the COVID-19 pandemic underlined various emotional reactions of bereaved people toward governmental institutions on the one hand and healthcare professionals on the other, which may aggravate prolonged grief ( 5 ). In their overview, van Schaik et al ( 4 ) also addressed the “effect of absence during final moments” and the “lack of involvement in the caring process.” Goveas and Shear ( 6 ) described the risk factors of prolonged grief processes. A relevant risk factor of poor bereavement was related to pandemic-related restrictions, particularly the “need to isolate patients to control the spread of COVID-19” ( 7 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experience of loss and grief among people from Germany who have lost their relatives during the pandemic: the impact of healthcare professionals' support

Büssing,

Baumann

2023

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundDue to public restrictions during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people were unable to visit and bid a proper farewell to their dying loved ones. This study aimed to address the loss-oriented aspects of grief and bereavement of relatives and relate these to the support they may have received from their dying relative's caring professionals.Materials and methodsPeople from Germany who experienced bereavement during the COVID-19 pandemic were enrolled in a cross-sectional study between July 2021 and May 2022, using standardized questionnaires (i.e., ICG, Inventory of Complicated Grief; BGL, Burdened by Grief and Loss scale; WHO-5, WHO-Five Wellbeing Index; and 5NRS, perception of burden related to the pandemic).ResultsMost participants (n = 196) had the opportunity to visit their relatives before death (59%). When this was not possible, being burdened by grief and loss was significantly higher (Eta2 = 0.153), while this had no significant influence on complicated grief or psychological wellbeing. Furthermore, 34% of participants felt well-supported by the treatment/care team. Their own support was moderately correlated with BGL scores (r = −0.38) and marginally with ICG scores (r = −15). Regression analyses showed that complicated grief symptoms as the dependent variable were predicted by (low) psychological wellbeing, relational status, and the perception of COVID-19-related burden (R2 = 0.70). In contrast, BGL as the dependent variable can be best explained by the perception of emotional affections because of restricted visits shortly before their death, by the (short) duration of visits before death, and by the relational status (R2 = 0.53). Although both were interconnected (r = 0.44), their predictor pattern was different.ConclusionBeing able to visit dying relatives was important for the mourning and bereavement processes. This emotional aspect was more relevant to the normal, non-pathological grief and loss processes than to complicated grief processes. Support from their dying relatives' treatment/care team was highly relevant to the mourning process, but the visiting relatives often lacked information about additional resources such as psychologists or pastoral care professionals or had limited access to them.

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The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Grief Experiences of Bereaved Relatives: An Overview Review

Cited by 11 publications

References 40 publications

Grief Responses During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in Spain

Grief Responses During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in Spain

Long-term bereavement outcomes in family members of those who died in acute care hospitals before and during the first wave of COVID-19: A cohort study

Experience of loss and grief among people from Germany who have lost their relatives during the pandemic: the impact of healthcare professionals' support

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