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. 2023 Dec;88(2):425-448.
doi: 10.1177/00302228211045288. Epub 2021 Sep 22.

Exploring the Use of Virtual Funerals during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

Andie MacNeil  1   2 , Blythe Findlay  1   2 , Rennie Bimman  1   2 , Taylor Hocking  1   2 , Tali Barclay  1   2 , Jacqueline Ho  1   2
Affiliations

Exploring the Use of Virtual Funerals during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

Andie MacNeil et al. Omega (Westport). 2023 Dec.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and physical distancing limitations have had a profound impact on funeral practices and associated grieving processes. The purpose of the present scoping review is to summarize the existing literature on the emerging use of virtual funerals. Five medical databases, five social science databases, and five grey literature databases were searched, identifying 1,351 titles and abstracts, of which 62 met inclusion criteria. Four themes, each with various subthemes emerged: (a) Impact of virtual funerals on coping with death; (b) Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the funeral industry; (c) Benefits and disadvantages of virtual funerals; and (d) Future implications for health and social work practitioners. Virtual funerals are an evolving resource for individuals, families, and communities to mourn in response to the interruptions to traditional grieving practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: coping/adaptation; disenfranchised grief; funerals; grief; mourning.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow diagram for the identification of articles, inclusion, and exclusion assessment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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