Millions of people’s experiences of bereavement have been affected by the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-funded study, led by Cardiff University and the University of Bristol. 

An online survey was completed by 711 people who had been bereaved in the UK between 16 March 2020 and 2 January 2021. People were recruited through the media, social media, national associations and organisations. Grief was assessed using the Adult Attitude to Grief scale, which calculates an overall index of vulnerability, and practical and emotional support needs were assessed in 13 domains. 

The study found the relationship to the deceased was most strongly associated with higher levels of grief and support needs. Bereaved people who had lost a partner, child or sibling were more likely to show higher levels of grief and support needs compared with bereavements of more distant relatives and friends. 

Read the full University of Bristol press release

Pre-print Paper: ‘Factors associated with higher levels of grief and support needs among people bereaved during the pandemic: Results from a national online survey’ by LE Selman et al. in medRxiv