About this Research Topic
The individual and social impact of coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic is due to the sudden increase of people being infected worldwide - already over 3.5 million people are infected worldwide – and that it can develop into a serious infectious disease that puts their lives at risk. In such an unprecedented and devastating scenario, with total fatalities surpassing 250,000 globally since 31 December 2019, the mourning process affects the people at the micro and macro system levels. As individuals and families, but also as citizens in a society confronting the different stages of the mourning process a step behind the individuals, probably due to its intrinsic complexity and limitations.
The world is in grief, simultaneously; confronting the proximity to death or the grief for relatives and friends, while severe socio-economical losses at are also foreseen. In the current society, where death is a taboo, the unexpected grief process in such a severe situation of lockdown, confinement, lack of possibilities to stand by those who are dying in the hospitals or in the nursery homes, or to perform funeral rituals according to our faith, believes and traditions, makes the process more difficult to handle. The majority of information available is focused in the virus, while concerns about increased risk of death for vulnerable groups of people (men, elderly, poverty-stricken, palliative care, diabetes mellitus and hypertension comorbidities, ethnic, refugees, prison regime, etc) or countries can hardly be heard. Also, fear and increased risk of death by other causes triggered by COVID19 such as hunger, interpartner violence, other types of violence or criminality. In addition to this, palliative care in this different setting is not only struggling due to the severe restrictions and technical scarcity of this public health emergency, but also worsened by an imbalance between the spiritual efforts that are needed and those provided to support those who are dying and their families.
The goal of this Research Topic is to face this taboo and to address these problems from different multidisciplinary perspectives and cultures. The aim is to encourage open discussion about current challenges and to provide not only technical but also educational and spiritual tools to mitigate the present and future impact of COVID19 in our multiple mourning process as individuals and/or as a society.
Original Research, Data Reports, Study Protocols, Community Case Studies, Case Reports, Theoretical perspectives and Opinions are welcome. The specific themes related to death-mourning process in times of COVID-19, at micro and macrosystem levels and from different multidisciplinary perspectives and cultures, are those indicated here, but not restricted to:
• Cross-cultural bio-psycho-social perspectives confronting death and the multiple mourning process in times of COVID-19
• Risk groups (age, gender, poverty, ethnic, refugees, morbidity, palliative care, mental health, prison regime, etc) and how they are confronting death and mourning in times of COVID-19
• Fear and increased risk of death by other causes triggered by COVID19 such as hunger, suicide, interpartner violence, other types of violence or criminality.
• Educational needs on death and mourning process for professionals and general population
• Impact of death from COVID 19 and mourning process in front-line professionals and their families
• Management of fatigue by compassion in times of COVID-19
• Challenges and management in Palliative care in times of COVID-19: Loneliness, dying alone and nursing homes
• Challenges and controversies in regulations and priorities implemented by governments and policymakers in COVID-19: Models, Ageism, Social Darwinism
• Special considerations and solutions with children and adolescents who are going through a duel during confinement or confront a multiple mourning
• The role of spirituality, faith and meaning of life in the mourning process in times of coronavirus
• Individual, familial, generational, social and global resilience in times of coronavirus
• Yoga, mindfulness and other psychotherapy forms for death and mourning management in COVID19 crisis
• Redesign of rituals, ceremonies and tributes in times of social isolation and infectious diseases
***Due to the exceptional nature of the COVID-19 situation, Frontiers is waiving all article publishing charges for COVID-19 related research until December 31st, 2020.***
This Topic has been realized in collaboration with Dr Alfredo Zamora Mur, Dr Aldana Di Costanzo, Dr Samhita Bhushan, Dr Enayat Shahidi and Dr Ismaeel Yunusa.
The world is in grief, simultaneously; confronting the proximity to death or the grief for relatives and friends, while severe socio-economical losses at are also foreseen. In the current society, where death is a taboo, the unexpected grief process in such a severe situation of lockdown, confinement, lack of possibilities to stand by those who are dying in the hospitals or in the nursery homes, or to perform funeral rituals according to our faith, believes and traditions, makes the process more difficult to handle. The majority of information available is focused in the virus, while concerns about increased risk of death for vulnerable groups of people (men, elderly, poverty-stricken, palliative care, diabetes mellitus and hypertension comorbidities, ethnic, refugees, prison regime, etc) or countries can hardly be heard. Also, fear and increased risk of death by other causes triggered by COVID19 such as hunger, interpartner violence, other types of violence or criminality. In addition to this, palliative care in this different setting is not only struggling due to the severe restrictions and technical scarcity of this public health emergency, but also worsened by an imbalance between the spiritual efforts that are needed and those provided to support those who are dying and their families.
The goal of this Research Topic is to face this taboo and to address these problems from different multidisciplinary perspectives and cultures. The aim is to encourage open discussion about current challenges and to provide not only technical but also educational and spiritual tools to mitigate the present and future impact of COVID19 in our multiple mourning process as individuals and/or as a society.
Original Research, Data Reports, Study Protocols, Community Case Studies, Case Reports, Theoretical perspectives and Opinions are welcome. The specific themes related to death-mourning process in times of COVID-19, at micro and macrosystem levels and from different multidisciplinary perspectives and cultures, are those indicated here, but not restricted to:
• Cross-cultural bio-psycho-social perspectives confronting death and the multiple mourning process in times of COVID-19
• Risk groups (age, gender, poverty, ethnic, refugees, morbidity, palliative care, mental health, prison regime, etc) and how they are confronting death and mourning in times of COVID-19
• Fear and increased risk of death by other causes triggered by COVID19 such as hunger, suicide, interpartner violence, other types of violence or criminality.
• Educational needs on death and mourning process for professionals and general population
• Impact of death from COVID 19 and mourning process in front-line professionals and their families
• Management of fatigue by compassion in times of COVID-19
• Challenges and management in Palliative care in times of COVID-19: Loneliness, dying alone and nursing homes
• Challenges and controversies in regulations and priorities implemented by governments and policymakers in COVID-19: Models, Ageism, Social Darwinism
• Special considerations and solutions with children and adolescents who are going through a duel during confinement or confront a multiple mourning
• The role of spirituality, faith and meaning of life in the mourning process in times of coronavirus
• Individual, familial, generational, social and global resilience in times of coronavirus
• Yoga, mindfulness and other psychotherapy forms for death and mourning management in COVID19 crisis
• Redesign of rituals, ceremonies and tributes in times of social isolation and infectious diseases
***Due to the exceptional nature of the COVID-19 situation, Frontiers is waiving all article publishing charges for COVID-19 related research until December 31st, 2020.***
This Topic has been realized in collaboration with Dr Alfredo Zamora Mur, Dr Aldana Di Costanzo, Dr Samhita Bhushan, Dr Enayat Shahidi and Dr Ismaeel Yunusa.
Keywords: COVID, coronavirus, grief, mourning, death
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
