Understanding the Impact of Death Conditions Linked to the COVID-19 Crisis on the Grieving Process in Bereaved Families

Understanding the Impact of Death Conditions Linked to the COVID-19 Health Crisis on the Grieving Process in Bereaved Families (Adolescents and Adults): a Qualitative Study

This study aims to analyze the grieving process of people who have lost a close first degree relative, understand the impact of death conditions and model a "theory of mourning" in the context of the COVID-19 crisis .

The COVID-19 pandemic has confronted us with an unprecedented health crisis, this had major consequences on mental health . International literature has already shown an increase in psychological and psychiatric distress in patients followed in psychiatry, and in the general population.

For bereaved relatives, certain factors contribute to complicate the mourning process, such as: the absence of communication with the healthcare team, the prohibition of visits, the absence of funeral rites... In the proposed research, we will analyze the grieving process of people who have lost a close first degree relative in children and adolescents population, understand the repercussions conditions of death in bereaved families and model a "theory of mourning" in the context of the current epidemic health crisis.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Bereaved person who lost a close relative (child, adolescent, adult) since March 2020
• Age over 15 years old
• First degree relative (husband-wife or equivalent, father-mother, son-daughter, brother-sister)
• A bereaved person who is in at least one of the following conditions:
• Unable to visit the hospital if hospitalized OR
• Unable to travel to the home/EPHAD/hospital OR
• Wish not to travel for personal reasons OR
• Failure to perform funeral rites OR
• Failure to respect the wishes of the deceased and his or her own wishes OR
• Inability to see the deceased OR
• Opportunity to participate in the funeral OR
• Unable to say goodbye OR
• Inability to communicate via telephone and/or smartphone OR
• Unable to repatriate the body to the country or region of origin
• Relative who died (child, adolescent, adult) between March 2020 and March 2021 with Covid-19 or other life-threatening conditions
• Relative who died in an inpatient or outpatient setting (EPHAD, home or other structure)
• French or non-French speaking bereaved person

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of a pathology preventing good elocution during the interview:

  • Presence of a neurological pathology (e.g. dementia, Alzheimer's, aphasia, dysphasia)
  • Presence of an unstabilised psychiatric disorder

• Person under guardianship or curatorship