Bereavement during Covid-19: Findings from a UK-wide online survey on the use and impact of informal and formal support among people grieving during the pandemic.

Goss, Silvia, Medeiros Mirra, Renata, Longo, Mirella ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9867-3806, Sivell, Stephanie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0253-1860, Seddon, Kathy, Torrens-Burton, Anna ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2162-3739, Sutton, Eileen, Nelson, Annmarie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6075-8425, Byrne, Anthony, Selman, Lucy and Harrop, Emily ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2820-0023 2022. Bereavement during Covid-19: Findings from a UK-wide online survey on the use and impact of informal and formal support among people grieving during the pandemic. Presented at: European Grief Conference 2022, Copenhagen, Denmark, 21-23 September 2022.

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Abstract

Background: Millions of people became bereaved during the Covid-19 pandemic, with many facing significant challenges accessing both informal and formal sources of support. Rational: We describe the use and experiences of bereavement support in a cohort of people bereaved during the pandemic in the UK. Design: A longitudinal online survey over three time points. Participants were asked about the support they had used and in free-text comments explained how they felt helped by this support. Evaluation: By 7-months post-bereavement, 88.3% of T2 survey participants (N=384; 88% female) continued to be supported by family and friends. They were helped with practical tasks, expressing feelings and sharing their grief, remembering the person they had lost, and feeling cared for and less isolated. 36.7% had received formal 1:1 support (e.g. counselling), helping them feel listened to and process their grief in a non-judgmental environment. Online communities (e.g. online bereavement forums and Facebook groups, used by 31%) helped people by sharing with similar others and feeling understood and less alone. 18.8% had contacted a physician for help with sick notes, medication or referrals to specialist bereavement or mental health support. Helplines, informal and formal bereavement groups, and mental health support were accessed less frequently (7%, 8.1%, 3.6%, and 3.1%, respectively). Conclusion: Results demonstrate the different types and benefits of bereavement support used during the pandemic. These insights can help support providers strengthen the mechanisms through which they benefit support-users, whilst also helping bereaved people identify support that is most relevant to their individual needs

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Poster)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Centre (MCPCRC) Medicine
Related URLs:	https://www.egc2022.dk/
Last Modified:	18 Jul 2023 11:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/160672

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