Investigating the severity of the grief experience among people whose family members died of COVID-19

Abstract

Background & Objectives: COVID-19 has made the grief process more complicated and brought about loads of unexpressed grief. This study aimed at determining the severity of grief reactions due to the death of a first-degree relative (FDR) affected by COVID-19. Methods: This analytic cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the grief score of people over 18 years old with the experience of losing one of their FDRs (i.e. father, mother, and siblings) because of COVID-19. Convenience sampling was employed to gather the data. The instrument used in this study was the Grief Experience Questionnaire (GEQ-34) that was filled in through phone calls. The inclusion criteria included the tendency to participate in the study, age of over 18, and the experience of FDR’s death. On the other hand, the exclusion criteria were severe discomfort and restlessness while talking on the phone. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression were employed to diagnose the factors affecting grief, using SPSS version 22 with a significance level of 0.05. Results: The findings indicated that the mean score of GEQ was 67.22±19.24, ranging from 34 to 126. In this study, 54.5% of the bereaved had an experience of low-level grief, 40.2% moderately experienced the grief, and 5.3% were highly affected. There was a positive relationship between the gender of the mourners, widows, or widowers with the grief score, while a negative relationship was observed between being an employed mourner as well as the age of the dead person with the grief score. Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic has brought about quite a lot of changes in the social and economic situation; mourning condition has become a complicated challenge. To facilitate the grief process and prevent psychological problems, it is recommended that some changes take place in this process. For example, online memorials, and online meetings of mourning can replace the traditional ones. Television, mass media, and clergymen can play a great role in making these changes in funeral rituals.