Bereavement During COVID-19 in the UK: A Mixed-Methods Study of the Experiences of Bereaved People and Bereavement Services, 2020-2023

Work Package One; A UK survey of people bereaved between 16th March 2020 and 2nd January 2021. Four time points: baseline (n=711), c. 7 months (n=384), c. 13 months (n=297), c.25 months (n=185) post-bereavement. At baseline 88.6 % were female, 43.8% were bereaved by Covid-19, 55.6 % had lost parents, followed by partners (21.4%). 4.7% identified with a minority ethnic background. Validated measures assessed grief and coping response (Adult Attitude to Grief scale), social support (Inventory for Social Support), prolonged grief disorder (PGD) (Traumatic Grief Inventory) and wellbeing (ONS wellbeing measure). Work Package Two; Semi-structured interviews with sub-sample of survey participants, interviewed between May 2021 and February 2022. 24 participants completed a first interview and 15 completed a second interview around 4 months after their first interview. 19 were female, 10 had lost partners, 11 were bereaved by Covid-19, 6 identified with a minority ethnic background. Work Package Three: Cross-sectional open online survey of UK voluntary sector bereavement services (March-May 2021) (n=147); Qualitative case study interviews with bereavement service providers at a purposive sample of services (14 services, 24 interviews).

COVID-19 is impacting the grief experiences of people bereaved during the pandemic, whilst also affecting the bereavement services that support them. This study aims to investigate the grief experiences, support needs and use of bereavement support by people bereaved during the pandemic, and the adaptations, challenges and innovation involved in delivering equitable bereavement support. We use qualitative and quantitative methods in three work packages: (WP1) A UK survey at four time points: baseline, 7, 13 and 25 months post-death. Recruitment via social media, organisations representing minority ethnic groups, and bereavement organisations. Questions investigate the impact of end-of-life and bereavement experiences during COVID-19 and subsequent access to, needs for and experiences of bereavement support. Validated measures assess grief and coping response, social support, prolonged grief disorder (PGD) and wellbeing. (WP2) Longitudinal semi-structured telephone interviews (2 time-points) with a sample of respondents exploring experiences of grief and bereavement during COVID-19, including bereavement support and unmet needs. (WP3) An online survey of bereavement service providers identifies service adaptations, key challenges and approaches to delivering accessible bereavement care during the pandemic. Survey findings inform targeted case studies, developed via telephone interviews, to describe innovative practice. The study identified ‘real-time’ implications for the delivery of end-of-life care and bereavement support during and beyond the pandemic, to ensure prompt translation into practice.

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