Prolonged Grief Disorder is a mental health condition which can develop caused by the death of someone close, such as a child or partner. It is most likely to occur after a violent or abrupt death. 

In the first published longitudinal study of bereavement during the COVID-19 pandemic, the research team investigated the rates of Prolonged Grief Disorder among a cohort of bereaved people. 

The study surveyed 711 people bereaved in the UK during the first and second waves of the pandemic (between 16 March 2020 and 2 January 2021). The researchers followed up with the participants 13 months and 25 months after their bereavement. They found that rates of Prolonged Grief Disorder were significantly higher than during pre-pandemic times. 

Pre-pandemic estimates suggest around 10% of bereaved people experience prolonged grief disorder. The study found that during the pandemic over 35% of people who took part in the survey met the criteria for indicated Prolonged Grief Disorder 13 months post-bereavement, and 29% of people met these criteria 25 months after their bereavement. 

Read the full University of Bristol news item

Paper: 'Prolonged grief during and beyond the pandemic: Factors associated with levels of grief in a four time-point longitudinal survey of people bereaved in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic' by Emily Harrop, Lucy E. Selman et al. in Frontiers Public Health [open access]