What is good grief support? Exploring the actors and actions in social support after traumatic grief

Social support seems to enhance wellbeing and health in many populations. Conversely, poor social support and loneliness are a social determinant of poor health outcomes and can adversely affect physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Social support is especially important in traumatic grief. Ho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2021-05, Vol.16 (5), p.e0252324-e0252324
Main Authors: Cacciatore, Joanne, Thieleman, Kara, Fretts, Ruth, Jackson, Lori Barnes
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibodies
Biology and Life Sciences
Blood pressure
Care and treatment
COVID-19
Data analysis
Editing
Epinephrine
Grief
Health aspects
Health risks
Heart rate
Hydrocortisone
Immune system
Medical research
Medicine and Health Sciences
Methods
Norepinephrine
Pandemics
Psychic trauma
Qualitative research
Reviews
Social aspects
Social interactions
Social isolation
Social networks
Social Sciences
Social support
Suicidal behavior
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Summary:Social support seems to enhance wellbeing and health in many populations. Conversely, poor social support and loneliness are a social determinant of poor health outcomes and can adversely affect physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Social support is especially important in traumatic grief. However, the ways in which grieving individuals interpret and define social support is not well understood, and little is known about what specific behaviours are perceived as helpful. Using qualitative description and content analysis, this study assessed bereaved individuals' satisfaction of social support in traumatic grief, using four categories of social support as a framework. Findings suggest inadequate satisfaction from professional, familial, and community support. Pets emerged with the most satisfactory ratings. Further, findings suggest that emotional support is the most desired type of support following traumatic loss. Implications for supporting bereaved individuals within and beyond the context of the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0252324