TY - JOUR
T1 - Support needs of Australians bereaved during the COVID-19 pandemic
T2 - A cross-sectional survey study
AU - Ivynian, Serra E.
AU - Maccallum, Fiona
AU - Chang, Sungwon
AU - Breen, Lauren J.
AU - Phillips, Jane L.
AU - Agar, Meera
AU - Hosie, Annmarie
AU - Tieman, Jennifer
AU - DiGiacomo, Michelle
AU - Luckett, Tim
AU - Philip, Jennifer
AU - Dadich, Ann
AU - Grossman, Christopher
AU - Gilmore, Imelda
AU - Harlum, Janeane
AU - Kinchin, Irina
AU - Glasgow, Nicholas
AU - Lobb, Elizabeth A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Public Library of Science. All rights reserved.
PY - 2024/6/6
Y1 - 2024/6/6
N2 - Background COVID-19 disrupted access to bereavement support. The objective of this study was to identify the bereavement supports used by Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic, perceived helpfulness of supports used, prevalence and areas of unmet support need, and characteristics of those with unmet support needs. Methods A convenience sample of bereaved adults completed an online questionnaire (April 2021-April 2022) about their bereavement experiences including support use and perceived helpfulness, unmet support needs and mental health. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to determine sociodemographic correlates of unmet needs. Open-ended responses were examined using content analysis to determine key themes. Results 1,878 bereaved Australians completed the questionnaire. Participants were mostly women (94.9%) living in major cities (68%) and reported the death of a parent (45%), with an average age of 55.1 years (SD = 12.2). The five most used supports were family and friends, self-help resources, general practitioners, psychologists, and internet/online community groups. Notably, each was nominated as most helpful and most unhelpful by participants. Two-thirds (66%) reported specific unmet support needs. Those with unmet needs scored lower on mental health measures. Correlates of unmet needs included being of younger age, being a spouse or parent to the deceased; reporting more impacts from public health measures, and not reporting family and friends as supports. The most frequent unmet need was for social support after the death and during lockdown. Conclusions This study demonstrates the complexity of bereavement support needs during a pandemic. Specialised grief therapy needs to be more readily available to the minority of grievers who would benefit from it. A clear recommendation for a bereavement support action plan is to bolster the ability of social networks to provide support in times of loss. The fostering of social support in the wake of bereavement is a major gap that needs to be addressed in practice, policy, and research.
AB - Background COVID-19 disrupted access to bereavement support. The objective of this study was to identify the bereavement supports used by Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic, perceived helpfulness of supports used, prevalence and areas of unmet support need, and characteristics of those with unmet support needs. Methods A convenience sample of bereaved adults completed an online questionnaire (April 2021-April 2022) about their bereavement experiences including support use and perceived helpfulness, unmet support needs and mental health. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to determine sociodemographic correlates of unmet needs. Open-ended responses were examined using content analysis to determine key themes. Results 1,878 bereaved Australians completed the questionnaire. Participants were mostly women (94.9%) living in major cities (68%) and reported the death of a parent (45%), with an average age of 55.1 years (SD = 12.2). The five most used supports were family and friends, self-help resources, general practitioners, psychologists, and internet/online community groups. Notably, each was nominated as most helpful and most unhelpful by participants. Two-thirds (66%) reported specific unmet support needs. Those with unmet needs scored lower on mental health measures. Correlates of unmet needs included being of younger age, being a spouse or parent to the deceased; reporting more impacts from public health measures, and not reporting family and friends as supports. The most frequent unmet need was for social support after the death and during lockdown. Conclusions This study demonstrates the complexity of bereavement support needs during a pandemic. Specialised grief therapy needs to be more readily available to the minority of grievers who would benefit from it. A clear recommendation for a bereavement support action plan is to bolster the ability of social networks to provide support in times of loss. The fostering of social support in the wake of bereavement is a major gap that needs to be addressed in practice, policy, and research.
KW - Community
KW - Complicated grief
KW - Phq-9
KW - Prolonged grief disorder
KW - Resilience
KW - Services
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85195438632&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0304025
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0304025
M3 - Article
C2 - 38843213
AN - SCOPUS:85195438632
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 19
JO - PLoS ONE
JF - PLoS ONE
IS - 6
M1 - e0304025
ER -