Harnessing social support for bereavement now and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The need to connect with others after loss is almost universal yet societies are more fragmented, lonely, and physically distanced than ever. Bereavement during COVID-19 – whether due to the pandemic or not – is accompanied by losses of income, routine, freedom, trust in others, future plans, and social support.1 The current global crisis is expected to complicate grieving individuals’ adaptation to bereavement due to physical distancing during dying and death, diminished access to mourning rituals, and reductions in physical social support.2,3 Policies aimed at addressing the pandemic underscore the urgent need to understand how individuals and communities can learn to provide social support to grieving persons as they manage these multiple losses.4