Bereavement, Memorial Attendance, and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Longitudinal Results from the Nurses' Health Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Mortality increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many bereaved individuals were not able to gather to memorialize their loved ones, yet it is unknown if this contributed to worsening mental health.

Objective

Examine the association of bereavement in the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic with subsequent psychological distress and the role of memorial attendance in reducing psychological distress among the bereaved.

Design, settings, subjects

In May 2020, 39,564 older females from the Nurses' Health Study II enrolled in a longitudinal COVID-19 substudy (mean_age = 65.2 years, SD = 4.5).

Methods

Linear regression analyses estimated associations of bereavement reported between March and October, 2020 with subsequent psychological distress be

SUBMITTER: Denckla CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10299945 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature