Grief and Bereavement in the Latino/a Community: A Literature Synthesis and Directions for Future Research

"A sign that I am not alone": A grounded theory-informed qualitative study on spirituality after suicide bereavement

Suicide bereavement is known to be highly distressing and to negatively affect the mental health of the bereaved. The role of religion and spirituality after suicide bereavement remains understudied. We aimed to specifically explore the role of spirituality after suicide bereavement by conducting a qualitative study through semi-structured interviews with fifteen people bereaved by suicide. The grounded theory-informed thematic analysis identified five main themes, namely "continuing bonds with the deceased," "lightening the burden," "grounded spirituality," "perceptual and conceptual shift" and "the movement of giving." For many participants, spirituality was a resource that facilitated the process of accepting their loss by offering a larger entity to which to hand over their suffering. Moreover, the continuing bonds with the deceased helped them to get through this ordeal. Our results can enable mental health professionals to better understand how spirituality can facilitate post-traumatic growth in people bereaved by suicide.

Unequal loss: Disparities in relational closeness to a COVID-19 death among U.S. older adults

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 mortality occurred unevenly across U.S. demographic subgroups, leaving some communities harder hit than others. Black and Hispanic/Latino older adults are among those disproportionately affected by COVID-19 mortality, and in turn, COVID-19 bereavement. Because disparities in COVID-19 mortality may extend to COVID-19 bereavement, it is important to understand the incidence of COVID-19 bereavement among older adults at various degrees of relational closeness (e.g., spouse vs. household member vs. friend).

METHODS

We used the National Social Health and Aging Project (NSHAP) COVID Study to evaluate disparities in loss of a social network member to COVID-19 among U.S. older adults by race/ethnicity, language, and relational closeness. Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the likelihood of experiencing a COVID-19 death in one's social network.

RESULTS

None of the English-speaking, non-Hispanic White respondents reported the loss of a household member or spouse to COVID-19. English-speaking, non-Hispanic Black and English-speaking, Hispanic older adults were overrepresented in reporting a death at every degree of relational closeness. However, close COVID-19 bereavement was most prevalent among Spanish-speaking older adults of any race. Although Spanish speakers comprised only 4.8% of the sample, half of the respondents who lost a spouse to COVID-19 were Spanish speakers. Language and ethnoracial group disparities persisted after controlling for age, sex, marital status, and education.

CONCLUSIONS

Known ethnoracial disparities in COVID-19 mortality extend to COVID-19 bereavement among older adults. Because bereavement impacts health, Black, Latino, and Spanish-speaking communities need greater protection and investment to prevent disparities in bereavement from exacerbating disparities in later-life mental and physical health.

Pandemic Grief and Suicidal Ideation in Latin American Countries: A Network Analysis

This study aimed to characterize the network structure of pandemic grief symptoms and suicidal ideation in 2174 people from eight Latin American countries. Pandemic grief and suicidal ideation were measured using the Pandemic Grief Scale and a single item, respectively. Network analysis provides an in-depth characterization of symptom-symptom interactions within mental disorders. The results indicated that, "desire to die," "apathy" and "absence of sense of life" are the most central symptoms in a pandemic grief symptom network; therefore, these symptoms could be focal elements for preventive and treatment efforts. Suicidal ideation, the wish to die, and the absence of meaning in life had the strongest relationship. In general, the network structure did not differ among the participating countries. It identifies specific symptoms within the network that may increase the likelihood of their co-occurrence and is useful at the therapeutic level.

Continuum of Trauma: Fear and Mistrust of Institutions in Communities of Color During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Historical, cultural, and social trauma, along with social determinants of health (SDOH), shape health outcomes, attitudes toward medicine, government, and health behaviors among communities of color in the United States (U.S.). This study explores how trauma and fear influence COVID-19 testing and vaccination among Black/African American, Latinx/Indigenous Latin American, and Native American/Indigenous communities. Leveraging community-based participatory research methods, we conducted 11 virtual focus groups from January to March of 2021 with Black/African American (n = 4), Latinx/Indigenous Latin American (n = 4), and Native American/Indigenous (n = 3) identifying community members in Inland Southern California. Our team employed rapid analytic approaches (e.g., template and matrix analysis) to summarize data and identify themes across focus groups and used theories of intersectionality and trauma to meaningfully interpret study findings. Historical, cultural, and social trauma induce fear and mistrust in public health and medical institutions influencing COVID-19 testing and vaccination decisions in communities of color in Inland Southern California. This work showcases the need for culturally and structurally sensitive community-based health interventions that attend to the historical, cultural, and social traumas unique to racial/ethnic minority populations in the U.S. that underlie fear and mistrust of medical, scientific, and governmental institutions.

Initial Impact of Perinatal Loss on Mothers and Their Partners

(1) Background: Perinatal Loss affects one in ten women worldwide. It is known to have a deep impact on the physical and psychological wellbeing of the mother. Moreover, there is a lack of information in regard to gender differences. The role of culture, environment, personal characteristics, and gender is yet to be determined in most reports; (2) Objective and Methods: Our aim is to study the initial impact of perinatal losses in an unselected sample of couples, focusing on gender differences. We conducted a longitudinal prospective study with 29 mothers and 17 fathers. Upon discharge from the hospital, they filled out the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), among others. After one-month post-loss, they performed the EPDS and the Short Version of the Perinatal Grief Scale. We used descriptive statistics for the sample and non-parametric tests for the comparison of gender; (3) Results: We found no gender differences in initial depressive symptoms, nor in depressive symptoms, perinatal grief symptoms, or grief level (total scores or complicated grief) one month after the loss; (4) Conclusions: we need to better understand the psychological evolution of couples in cases of perinatal loss without falling into preconceived ideas about the influence of gender.