Covid-19 has changed the usual way of life of a person, turning most of the processes into a remote routine. The pandemic also caused the death of many people and accordingly made relatives, and close people suffer. When we lose something, we experience negative emotions, but if it is a loved one or a loved one, one experiences grief. Moreover, the pandemic contributed to some changes in the principles of grief and the processes related to the close person’s loss. The presentation deals with the main points of children’s and adults’ grief and how the pandemic influenced some principles of grief.
Primarily, one should determine some basic terms concerning the death of a friend or relative. Grief is an internal feeling that occurs due to parting with a relative or friend. Bereavement formulates a status, which defines the fact of close person’s loss, in contrast with grief, it is not a feeling. Finally, mourning is an act of sorrow, which is usually followed by some period of time or signs (for example, wearing a black ribbon) (NCTSN, 2021). Moreover, Covid-19 led to some before the person died circumstances, which affected the feeling of grief in children. These points include quarantine procedures, which separate the people at home and in hospitals, disrupted communication, stigma, and injustices in care. Finally, the grief is reinforced by the inability to say goodbye or the last words and provide comfort to the person dying from the Covid-19.
The pandemic may lead to “unembarked grief” by preventing people perform usual end-of-life rituals. Traditional ritual processes are not only some traditions, but the actions which help people to go through the loss of a close person. However, it does not relieve the pain of parting, it rather allows people to obtain religious and cultural transitions (NCTSN, 2021). Children’s feeling of grief depends on some factors, which include the circumstances of death, the relationships on family, support systems. It also varies depending on the child’s age and prior history: traumas, mentalphysical health problems. Parents and caregivers (teachers, coaches) are key figures who formulate child well-being and the severity of grief. Thus, they need to support the child and to do this effectively, they need to help themselves. Moreover, the degree to which a child copes with grief is directly related to the degree of support and care provided.
Due to the above factors, one should develop services that would help children cope with the grief associated with Covid-19. It is formulated by the possibility of developing the Childhood Traumatic Grief (CTG), due to which the individual may face nightmares, guilt and self-blame, and negative thoughts. Grief-focused interventions may be an effective way to deal with CTG. One of the examples of a successful way to prevent CTG is the grandmother saying to the child that the sun shining through the clouds is the grandmother looking at the child (NCTSN, 2021). All the rest confirmed this information and arranged a birthday celebration, and supported the child in every possible way. In this way, the negative impact of the loss was minimized, and the child’s focus on negative emotions was prevented.
To conclude, Covid-19 pandemic negatively influenced adults and children not only by causing losses but also by preventing people from live communication. It caused the growth of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. In some cases, it led to prolonged grief-related disorders, which need medical interventions. On the other hand, a pandemic caused the development of many virtual family support centers.
Reference
NCTSN. (2021). The Impact of COVID-19 on Grief and Loss. Web.