Author(s): Emily Smith-Greenaway, PhD |
Ashton M. Verdery, PhD
Published: Apr. 5, 2021 in JAMA Pediatrics
Report Intro/Brief:
“The number of children experiencing a parent dying of COVID-19 is staggering, with an estimated 37, 300 to 43 ,000 already affected. For comparison, the attacks on September 11, 2001, left 3000 children without a parent. The burden will grow heavier as the death toll continues to mount. Black children are disproportionately affected, comprising only 14% of children in the US but 20% of those losing a parent to COVID-19. We note these estimates rely on demographic modeling, not survey or administrative data. Moreover, they do not include bereavement of nonparental primary caregivers.
Sweeping national reforms are needed to address the health, educational, and economic fallout affecting children. Parentally bereaved children will also need targeted support to help with grief, particularly during this period of heightened social isolation. Brief evidence-based interventions may be able to prevent the development of severe psychological problems when delivered widely, although some children will need longer-term support. The establishment of a national child bereavement cohort could identify children who have lost parents, monitor them for early identification of emerging challenges, link them to locally delivered care, and form the basis for a longitudinal study of the long-term effects of mass parental bereavement during a uniquely challenging time of social isolation and economic uncertainty.”
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