African Americans and COVID-19 Pandemic: The Inability to have a Proper Burial and Grieve After the Death of a Loved-One

Abstract

Abstract Religion and spirituality have been an integral part of the African Americans’ culture since slavery. The African American communities experienced more deaths and losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. African Americans' coping with death and dying is influenced by their culture and religious practices. However, during the pandemic, African Americans are not able to participate in sociocultural practices that facilitate their coping with death and dying. This paper is an analytical literature review of African Americans and contributing factors of the COVID-19 pandemic to their traditional cultural practices of death and dying. First, this paper will provide a conceptual perspective on African Americans’ culture of (a) collectivism, (b) communalism, (c) interconnectedness, and (d) spirituality in their relationships with others in the community and the COVID-19 pandemic. Typically, African Americans experience grief and loss through the support of immediate family as well as extended family, and the larger community with an emphasis on the cultural tradition of faith and spirituality. The process of grieving for African Americans changed during the COVID-19 pandemic because of the lack of funeral services or the changes in their burial practices. The African Americans’ funeral plays an important part in managing and coping with grief and loss. Mental health professionals need to be aware of African Americans’ inability to practice their cultural traditions may interfere with their grieving process. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this disruption of the grieving process may increase the risk of complicated/ prolonged grief and contribute to mental health conditions. Future research studies need to address the cultural perspective of African Americans with death and dying after the COVID-pandemic