Prolonged Grief Disorder and COVID-19
Grief is a universal human experience that affects everyone at some point in their lives. It is complex and often misunderstood. This is why I have written about the need to study grief and bereavement in the article Why Should We Research Grief? One of the key benefits of grief research is the development of a common language for discussing this multifaceted human experience. Standardised terminology and concepts allow researchers, clinicians, and those experiencing grief to communicate more effectively. This shared understanding can lead to better diagnosis, treatment, and support for individuals struggling with loss. An example of this research is the recognition of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) condition.
It is not just the impact on individuals, research on grief and bereavement sheds light on broader implications for society. This research can be instrumental in shaping public policies related to support services and workplace practices. For example, studies exploring the impact of grief on productivity and employee well-being can inform the development of compassionate leave policies and bereavement support programmes within organisations. Furthermore, research can guide the allocation of resources to community-based grief support organisations and public health initiatives supporting grieving individuals.
Funding Research
Many areas of research could be funded in society. Some are so important that governments and businesses invest heavily in them. For example, the recently announced Stargate Project has been allocated 500 billion USD for AI research. Many research topics are in competition for research funding in the form of grants. If the outcome does not directly create wealth or save money, then these research grants become more difficult to obtain. This means that the study of grief and bereavement will not be particularly well funded.
This did change during the COVID-19 epidemic. Many governments decided it was a priority to fund research into anything COVID related. This included treatment and reviewing how the disease affected society. There was an increase in excess mortality i.e. more people dying than usual. There was also a change in how death was experienced due to the COVID response. Numerous reports were produced by various countries such as the UK, looking at the effects of COVID-19 on grief and bereavement .
Paper and Background
In this article, I want to review a recently published paper on PGD : Prolonged grief reactions and help-seeking in bereaved adults during the COVID-19 pandemic by Macallum et al, 2025. This paper is looking at grief reactions in adults during the COVID 19 epidemic in Australia. During this period in Australia, like many other countries, there were COVID restrictions. These were initially put in place to stop any rapid spread of the disease. Australia had a low death rate compared to the rest of the world in the first two years of the pandemic. The country could effectively quarantine itself as it is basically a large island. People did die from COVID and of course, other conditions as they normally do. Due to various restrictions and lockdowns occurring in each state, many bereaved families could not attend bed side vigils, funerals and social gatherings These are all very important in the grieving process. Compounding this was the increased level of social isolation. Grieving individuals could not easily access their social support network at home or in the workplace.
Funding was allocated for the research in this paper which was published in the first two weeks of 2025. This is over two years after the COVID emergency ended in Australia. This demonstrates the length of time research takes to be conducted and formally reported on. This is another issue to consider when funding research…how soon do you want the answers?
Prolonged Grief Disorder
The paper focuses on Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD). It was only added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR) in 2022. This means it has only been officially recognised by psychiatrists and psychologists since this period. As a result, there would not be many research papers looking at the specific condition before 2022. (I discuss the DSM 5 in this article A Book that Quietly Grows in Size and Influence.)
PGD is a mental health condition where intense grief persists for a long time after the loss of a loved one. As a result, it will interfere with daily life and cause significant distress. It is characterised by persistent longing for the deceased person, a preoccupation with thoughts of them, and difficulty accepting the loss. This is often accompanied by emotional numbness, difficulty reintegrating into life, and a sense of meaninglessness. Individuals who have lost a child would often fit the criteria to be diagnosed with PGD.
Targeting PGD
Often grief and bereavement studies will aggregate different types of bereavement. This means the effects of losing a grandparent and a child may be collated studied in the same project. When large studies are being conducted it can be difficult, but not impossible, to get funding for specific target groups. Many COVID-related research projects were looking for trends across the entire population. They would be less interested in smaller specific groups. What is interesting about this paper is that it was clearly targeting the level of PGD in the participants of the study.
Paper Review
I have included a summary of the research paper created by Gemini Advance AI. These AI tools are very useful to summarise documents and reports from unfamiliar topics particularly for people with non-academic backgrounds. This is similar process I used in the article How a Landmark Study Sheds Light on Parental Grief.
Research Paper:
Summary of “Prolonged grief reactions and help-seeking in bereaved adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Maccallum et al, 2025) created by Gemini Advanced.
This study explored how Australians bereaved during the COVID-19 pandemic sought help for their grief, especially those with prolonged grief disorder (PGD).
How did they do this?
The researchers used an online survey to gather data from 786 adults who had lost a loved one during the pandemic. The survey included questions about their experiences with grief, how it affected their daily lives, and any support they sought. To figure out who likely had PGD, they used a scoring system based on participants' responses about their grief.
What did they find?
The study found that people with probable PGD were more likely to have looked for professional help but were also more likely to have unmet needs for support. This was due to several barriers, including long wait times for appointments, the closure of in-person services, and a general increase in people seeking mental health support. Many people ended up using self-help websites and online support groups, especially those with probable PGD. Worryingly, the study also found that almost half of the participants with probable PGD had recent thoughts of self-harm or suicide.
Why is this important?
The study highlights the need for greater investment in bereavement care, including training professionals, expanding access to evidence-based bereavement services, and increasing the availability of support for PGD.