Funeral restrictions and bereavement distress during COVID-19.

Abstract

Most research on pandemic bereavement has been conducted in Western settings, with limited evidence from culturally diverse regions where funeral rituals carry strong communal and religious significance. This study examined whether funeral restriction during COVID-19 was associated with prolonged grief and moderate-to-severe anxiety among bereaved adults in Northeast India, and whether these associations were moderated by social support and religious involvement. Data were collected from 274 adults who lost a family member during the pandemic. Complete funeral restriction was associated with higher prolonged-grief severity and odds of moderate-to-severe anxiety compared with no restriction, whereas partial restriction also showed elevated risk. Greater social support was associated with lower prolonged grief severity across restriction levels, whereas the association between funeral restriction and prolonged grief was stronger among participants with higher religious involvement. The findings indicate that severe funeral disruption is linked to increased bereavement distress in Northeast India, a culturally diverse region.