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Review
. 2024 Dec;26(12):782-788.
doi: 10.1007/s11920-024-01559-4. Epub 2024 Nov 7.

Grief in Children in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Pauline Billard  1 , Thomas Le François  2 , Annick Haelewyn  2 , Emma Niel  2 , Fabian Guénolé  2   3 , Alexis Revet  4   5 , Eric Bui  6   7
Affiliations
Review

Grief in Children in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Pauline Billard et al. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose of review: This review aims at reporting the current evidence of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on grief in children.

Recent findings: Evidence from the scientific literature shows that the severity of grief in children is impacted by numerous risk factors which can lead to prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Among these risk factors are the unpredictability of the death, the lack of understanding about what is happening by the child, the global insecurity raised by the context of the pandemic or again the impossibility for the child to find comfort with his peers due to the lock-down. No medical-based approach has proven efficient on PGD in children. However, cognitive based therapy can lower the severity of the symptoms. Future efforts should focus on developing therapeutic strategies to specifically fit the needs of children with PGD, in the context of a major crisis such as this pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Children; Grief; Prolonged Grief Disorder; Risk factors.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

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