Loss and Grief Among Bereaved Family Members During COVID-19 in Brazil: A Grounded Theory Analysis

Lima, Paola Kallyanna Guarneri Carvalho de; Laranjeira, Carlos; Carreira, Lígia; Baldissera, Vanessa Denardi Antoniassi; Meireles, Viviani Camboin; Baccon, Wanessa Cristina; Dias, Lashayane Eohanne; Ali, Amira Mohammed; Mello, Fernanda Fontes; Tostes, Maria Fernanda do Prado; Salci, Maria Aparecida

doi:10.3390/bs15060829

This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.

Open AccessArticle

Loss and Grief Among Bereaved Family Members During COVID-19 in Brazil: A Grounded Theory Analysis

by

Paola Kallyanna Guarneri Carvalho de Lima

^1,†,

Carlos Laranjeira

^2,3,4,*,†

,

Lígia Carreira

¹,

Vanessa Denardi Antoniassi Baldissera

¹,

Viviani Camboin Meireles

¹,

Wanessa Cristina Baccon

⁵

,

Lashayane Eohanne Dias

¹,

Amira Mohammed Ali

⁶,

Fernanda Fontes Mello

¹

,

Maria Fernanda do Prado Tostes

¹ and

Maria Aparecida Salci

¹

Department of Postgraduate Nursing, State University of Maringá, Avenida Colombo, 5790-Campus Universitário, Maringá 87020-900, Brazil

²

School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 2, Morro do Lena, Alto do Vieiro, Apartado 4137, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal

³

Centre for Innovative Care and Health Technology (ciTechCare), Polytechnic University of Leiria, Campus 5, Rua das Olhalvas, 2414-016 Leiria, Portugal

⁴

Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), University of Évora, 7000-801 Évora, Portugal

⁵

Departamento de Enfermagem, Unicesumar, Av. Guedner, 1610-Jardim Aclimação, Maringá 87050-900, Brazil

⁶

Department of Psychiatric Nursing and Mental Health, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Smouha, Alexandria 21527, Egypt

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(6), 829; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15060829

Submission received: 10 March 2025 / Revised: 6 June 2025 / Accepted: 15 June 2025 / Published: 17 June 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Clinical Interventions on Grief)

Download Versions Notes

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in countless losses around the world, profoundly affecting the lives of many people, especially those who faced the death of family members, bringing several negative repercussions to these families and constraining the experience of grief. This study aimed to understand the experience of loss and grief among bereaved individuals who lost family members during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study was guided by Charmaz’s constructivist grounded theory as a methodological framework. The study adhered to the Criteria for REporting Qualitative research (COREQ) checklist. Data collection took place between May and November 2023 through telephone interviews that were audio-recorded and later transcribed in full. The purposive sample consisted of 21 bereaved family members who had lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were mainly female (n = 16) with a mean age of 55.5 (SD = 16.2). The loss of their family members occurred 12 to 24 months before data collection. The following central phenomenon was identified through the analytical process: “Family experience of loss and grief: between the unspoken goodbye and post-loss adjustment”. This was anchored in the following three categories: (1) Anguish and fear of the unknown; (2) Death by COVID-19—communication of death and lack of goodbyes; and (3) (Re)construction of meaning—support networks and the grieving process. Our findings recommend that policymakers allocate additional resources to grief support services to better prepare for future pandemic events. Furthermore, it is necessary to invest in the implementation of relevant training programs for healthcare professionals, with a family centered approach.

Keywords: COVID-19; grounded theory; bereavement; loss; grief; family; Brazil

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Lima, P.K.G.C.d.; Laranjeira, C.; Carreira, L.; Baldissera, V.D.A.; Meireles, V.C.; Baccon, W.C.; Dias, L.E.; Ali, A.M.; Mello, F.F.; Tostes, M.F.d.P.; et al. Loss and Grief Among Bereaved Family Members During COVID-19 in Brazil: A Grounded Theory Analysis. Behav. Sci. 2025, 15, 829. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15060829

AMA Style

Lima PKGCd, Laranjeira C, Carreira L, Baldissera VDA, Meireles VC, Baccon WC, Dias LE, Ali AM, Mello FF, Tostes MFdP, et al. Loss and Grief Among Bereaved Family Members During COVID-19 in Brazil: A Grounded Theory Analysis. Behavioral Sciences. 2025; 15(6):829. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15060829

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lima, Paola Kallyanna Guarneri Carvalho de, Carlos Laranjeira, Lígia Carreira, Vanessa Denardi Antoniassi Baldissera, Viviani Camboin Meireles, Wanessa Cristina Baccon, Lashayane Eohanne Dias, Amira Mohammed Ali, Fernanda Fontes Mello, Maria Fernanda do Prado Tostes, and et al. 2025. "Loss and Grief Among Bereaved Family Members During COVID-19 in Brazil: A Grounded Theory Analysis" Behavioral Sciences 15, no. 6: 829. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15060829

APA Style

Lima, P. K. G. C. d., Laranjeira, C., Carreira, L., Baldissera, V. D. A., Meireles, V. C., Baccon, W. C., Dias, L. E., Ali, A. M., Mello, F. F., Tostes, M. F. d. P., & Salci, M. A. (2025). Loss and Grief Among Bereaved Family Members During COVID-19 in Brazil: A Grounded Theory Analysis. Behavioral Sciences, 15(6), 829. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15060829

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Article metric data becomes available approximately 24 hours after publication online.

Article Menu

Loss and Grief Among Bereaved Family Members During COVID-19 in Brazil: A Grounded Theory Analysis

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI