Social Support for Grief, Attachment, and Mental Health Among Bereaved Spouses During COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This study explored the associations of grief support between social support for grief and pandemic grief symptoms, attachment, and mental health through accounting for sociodemographic factors among bereaved spouses widowed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. From September 10 to November 23, 2020, a cross-sectional mobile online survey was conducted, involving 92 participants with a mean age of 44.21 years. The sample was predominantly Islamic (91%) and female (88.8%), with an average marriage duration of 18.73 years. Participants completed assessments, including the Grief Support Assessment Scale, Brief Symptom Rating Scale-5, Pandemic Grief Scale, Revised Adult Attachment Scale, and Couple Interaction Scale for Marital Support. Results showed that the extent to which grief support was received (β = −0.36, p = 0.03) and that bereaved spouses were satisfied with (β = −0.29, p = 0.03) grief support were negatively correlated with pandemic grief. Age, education, and attachment directly influenced mental health. A k-means cluster analysis identified a younger cluster (M_age = 34.76 ± 4.63) experiencing greater mental health difficulties (14.84 ± 3.9), pandemic grief (7.23 ± 3.06), and attachment needs (51.80 ± 8.06). The findings highlight that the grief support needed was higher than the support received and the satisfaction with that support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, participants were dissatisfied with the higher demand for resources from governmental and nongovernmental organizations. The study emphasizes the importance of accessible, high-quality grief support services that are culturally and religiously sensitive, especially in diverse contexts like Indonesia.