Beyond a traumatic loss: The experiences of mourning alone after parental death during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Millions of adolescents around the world lost their loved ones due to the COVID-19 pandemic; at the same time, health protocols in many countries do not allow mourners to practice their familiar rituals around death and dying. This study explored the experience of 15 Iranian adolescents who had lost their parent(s) during the pandemic through a phenomenological approach. Two main themes including distress in a shattered life and crisis in crisis were extracted from the interviews. Findings highlight the importance of immediate and alternative ways of support for adolescents who lost their parents during the pandemic.

Acknowledgments

Authors would like to thank the anonymous participants for sharing their personal traumatic experiences.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interests was reported by author.