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07-11-2024 | Prolonged Grief Disorder | Review

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

Authors: Pauline Billard, Thomas Le François, Annick Haelewyn, Emma Niel, Fabian Guénolé, Alexis Revet, Eric Bui

Published in: Current Psychiatry Reports

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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).

Summary

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.
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Metadata
Title
Grief in Children in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors
Pauline Billard
Thomas Le François
Annick Haelewyn
Emma Niel
Fabian Guénolé
Alexis Revet
Eric Bui
Publication date
07-11-2024
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Current Psychiatry Reports
Print ISSN: 1523-3812
Electronic ISSN: 1535-1645
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-024-01559-4