The COVID-19 pandemic has changed dying and grief: Will there be a surge of complicated grief?

Abstract

Worldwide, more than 3 million people have died from COVID-19. Each decedent represents a person who was loved, will be missed, and whose death elicited grief. COVID-19 has changed the way we die and grieve. Many people have died without family members and friends present and many of the bereft have grieved and mourned alone. Individuals and communities have experienced multiple losses within a short time while suffering from concomitant stress, anxiety, and depression. More deaths and more grief will continue in the foreseeable future. Preventive education is needed to prepare for and manage the likely increase in complicated grief.

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the important role of and dedicate this paper to nurses who work in intensive care units. Many ICU nurses have served as communication liaisons between dying COVID-19 patients and their loved ones. Although under great stress themselves, ICU nurses have humanely and compassionately cared for others. These nurses have held the hand of dying patients or even used their own mobile phones to allow family members to say goodbye to the dying. For the excellent care and extraordinary efforts given by ICU nurses, we say, “thank you!.”

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).