Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Dec;92(2):640-652.
doi: 10.1177/00302228231187097. Epub 2023 Jun 30.

Exploring the Bereavement Experience Due to COVID-19 Death Among Arabs in Israel

Anwar Khatib  1   2 , Fareeda Abo-Rass  3 , Ahmad Khatib  4
Affiliations

Exploring the Bereavement Experience Due to COVID-19 Death Among Arabs in Israel

Anwar Khatib et al. Omega (Westport). 2025 Dec.

Abstract

This study examined the experience of bereavement because of COVID-19 among the Arab minority in Israel, based on the two-track model of grief, using a qualitative approach. The data was collected in an in-depth interview with 34 participants representing the three religions in the Arab population in Israel, approximately 1 year after the loss occurred. The findings revealed that most participants reported returning to their previous function almost completely, exclusively in the field of work. However, they reported decreased social functioning and feelings of loneliness and sadness, and some reported manifestations of active and traumatic grief. Some findings may create a false impression that the mourners have gone through the loss process and returned to normal. However, the current study's findings refute this conclusion, which requires appropriate treatment from health professionals.

Keywords: Arab minority; COVID-19; Israel; bereavement; two-track model of grief.

PubMed Disclaimer

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.

References

    1. Abo-Rass F., Shinan-Altman S., Werner P. (2020). Depression illness representations among Arabs in Israel: A qualitative study comparing younger and older adults. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 35(4), 353–366. 10.1007/s10823-020-09413-9 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Abu-Kaf S., Shahar G. (2017). Depression and somatic symptoms among two ethnic groups in Israel: Testing three theoretical models. Israel Journal of Psychiatry, 54(2), 32–39. - PubMed
    1. Al-Gamal E., Saeed S. B., Victor A., Long T. (2019). Prolonged grief disorder and its relationship with perceived social support and depression among university students. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 57(2), 44–51. 10.3928/02793695-20181023-03 - DOI - PubMed
    1. A’li N. (2019). Palestinian citizens in Israel: A sociological portrait. In Haj-Yahia M., Nakash O., Levav I. (Eds.), Mental health and Palestinian citizens in Israel (pp. 70–93). Indiana University Press.
    1. Alobaidi A. (2020). The effect of circumstances of death and funeral ceremony on condolence in English and Arab societies. College of Basic Education Research Journal, 16(4), 1089–1102. 10.33899/berj.2020.167268 - DOI