Psychosocial factors associated with complicated grief in caregivers during COVID-19: Results from a preliminary cross-sectional study

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how end-of-life ceremonies are performed, affecting grief processing and bereavement experiences. In this study, caregivers of patients who died with COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic were asked to complete an online survey designed to detect psychosocial factors associated with the presence of complicated grief (CG). The results show CG present in 48.4% of caregivers. The marital and cohabitant status during lockdown, the perceived sense of guilt and depression levels were significantly associated with the presence of CG, whereas attendance at the funeral and social support were found to be significant protective factors.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank for the time given the caregivers who participated in the study. The authors are also grateful to Stephanie Parsley for the proofreading of the manuscript. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author [SC] upon reasonable request.