Developmental Understanding of Death and Grief Among Children During COVID-19 Pandemic: Application of Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Model.

Aisha Sanober Chachar,Wamiq Ali,Sana Younus

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.654584

Aisha Sanober Chachar, Wamiq Ali + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.654584

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Abstract

COVID-19 Pandemic has influenced death-related attitudes and understanding during the childhood development leading to a life-long impact. Factors like pandemic-related movement restrictions, school closures, and parents' stay-at-home have exposed children to the phenomenon of grief and death. In that case, children anticipate adverse outcomes and fear while they struggle with unanswered questions. Children may not have coping skills needed to manage their grief in constructive ways to identify, normalize, and express their responses to the loss in their lives. Naming and validating these responses as distinctive aspects of grief process and providing safe space to express their feelings are essential components of a child's coping with loss and grief. This is crucial to consider, as different children react to and are influenced by their environments differently. This article aims to explore the developmental understanding of the process of death and grief by applying the conceptual framework of Bronfenbrenner's theory. Understanding mutual interaction between a child and various ecological systems determines how children perceive death and process grief can facilitate effective communication that has significant implications.

Highlights

During the initial 14 months of the pandemic, more than 1.5 million children lost at least one primary caregiver due to COVID-19-associated deaths [1]
As the pandemic resulted in a substantial increase in deaths caused either directly by virus-related complications or indirectly due to limited access to health care services for chronic diseases and medical emergencies, the children’s exposure to the phenomenon of death increased exponentially [2]
Children and adults differ in reacting to pandemics [3]

Summary

INTRODUCTION

During the initial 14 months of the pandemic, more than 1.5 million children lost at least one primary caregiver (parent or grandparent) due to COVID-19-associated deaths [1]. The main tasks for grieving children include understanding the loss associated with the state, expressing emotions and strong reactions, remembering the deceased, and learning the integration of the loss in one’s life [62] This approach provides opportunities for growth and the realization of “good grief ” in the context of irreversible loss and unavoidable sadness. Clinicians should consider exploring children’s understanding and needs as part of the management process These could include: gathering adequate information about fears and anxieties, providing reassurance to reduce child’s guilt and self-blame, empathetic listening and validation of child’s feelings, helping them with overwhelming emotions, involving them in decision making, promoting routine activities, assisting parents in modeling their grief behaviors and giving the child opportunities to remember the deceased one or talk about them. It is crucial is to incorporate traditional religious practices and cultural beliefs that can significantly contribute to clinical challenges while managing the pandemic [64]

CONCLUSION

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

Findings

Honigsbaum