The Pandemic Grief Project
Helping health professionals and scholars identify people suffering from COVID-19 grief.
We are a research team that is studying how bereavement during COVID-19 affects the mental health and well-being of people across the globe. Our current focus is on the Pandemic Grief Scale (PGS), a brief mental health screener of dysfunctional grief caused by losing someone to COVID-19, and the Pandemic Grief Risk Factors (PGRF), a self-report inventory of distinctive risk factors associated with grief in the context of a COVID-19 loss. Because millions of people are grieving this loss due to COVID-19, our hope is that health professionals will use our tools to identify people at risk for or suffering from dysfunctional levels of grief. We also hope that other researchers will join us in studying the COVID-19 grief phenomenon.
We are also proud supporters of the COVID-19 Complicated Grief Initiative. If you would like to join us in urging President Biden to develop a national strategy to help support those facing pandemic-related grief, you can show your support here.
Please also join us in supporting National COVID-19 Day where we can come together virtually to support one another and share free resources for navigating grief, cultivating resilience, and caring for others during this challenging time.
Our Publications
Lee, S. A., Mathis, A. A., Jobe, M. C., Pappalardo, E. A., & Neimeyer, R. A. (2024). Screening for dysfunctional Covid-19 grief: A replication and extension. Bereavement: Journal of Grief and Responses to Death, 3, 1-10. https://www.bereavementjournal.org/index.php/bcj/article/view/1117/1159
Park, C. H., Yoo, S., Ahmed, O., Chung, S., & Lee, S. A. (2024). Validation of the Pandemic Grief Risk Factors and its relationship with work-related stress and grief reaction among healthcare workers who witnessed patient deaths. Journal of Korean Medical Sciences, 39, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e102
Caycho-Rodríguez, T., Baños-Chaparro, J., Ventura-León, J., Lee, S. A., Vilca, L. W., Carbajal-León, C., Yupanqui-Lorenzo, D. E., Valencia, P. D., Reyes-Bossio, M., Oré-Kovacs, N., Rojas-Jara, C., Gallegos, M., Polanco-Carrasco, R., Cervigni, M., Martino, P., Lobos-Rivera, M. E., Moreta-Herrera, R., Palacios Segura, D. A., Samaniego-Pinho, A., … Hualparuca-Olivera, L. (2024). Pandemic grief and suicidal ideation in Latin American countries: A network analysis. Psychological Reports. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941241231209
Neimeyer, R. A., Breen, L. J. & Lee, S. A. (2023). Pandemic grief and complications in bereavement: From research evidence to clinical relevance. Etudes sur la Mort. https://doi.org/10.3917/eslm.159.0015
Lobos-Rivera, M. E., Marroquín-Carpio, W. C., Caycho-Rodríguez, T., Lee, S. A., Tejada Rodríguez, J. C., Flores-Monterrosa, A. N., Valencia, P. D., Carbajal-León, C., Vilca, L. W., Torales, J., & Reyes-Bossio, M. (2023). Does the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale measure coronaphobia the same way for mourners with and without dysfunctional frief? Illness, Crisis & Loss. https://doi.org/10.1177/10541373231174557
Kim, J. H., Park, C. H. K., Ahmed, O., Hong, Y., Chung, S., Park, J. & Lee, S. A. (2023) Validation of the healthcare workers’ version of the Pandemic Grief Scale among frontline nursing professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1121546
Schneider, S., Rerick, P. O., Cummings, C., McLean, E., & Breen, L. J. (2023). Pandemic grief risk factors and prolonged grief disorder in bereaved young adults during COVID-19. Palliative & Supportive Care. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478951523000160
Lobos‑Rivera, M. E., Flores‑Monterrosa, A. N., Tejada‑Rodríguez, J. C., Chacón‑Andrade, E. R., Caycho‑Rodríguez, T., Lee, S. A., Valencia, P. D., Carbajal‑León, C., Vilca, L. W., Reyes‑Bossio, M., & Gallegos, M. (2023). Pandemic grief in El Salvador: Factors that predict dysfunctional grief due to a COVID-19 death among Salvadoran adults. Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica, 36(9), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41155-023-00250-6
Lee, S.A., & Neimeyer, R.A. (2023). Pandemic Grief Scale (PGS): A clinical screening tool. In C.U. Krägeloh, M. Alyami, & O.N. Medvedev (Eds.), International handbook of behavioral health assessment (pp. 1-13). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89738-3_11-1
Caycho-Rodríguez, T., Lee, S. A., Vilca, L. W., Carbajal-León, C., Reyes-Bossio, M., Delgado-Campusano, M., Gallegos, M., Carranza Esteban, R., & Noe-Grijalva, M. (2022). Measurement of risk factors associated with bereavement severity and deterioration by COVID-19: A Spanish validation study of the Pandemic Grief Risk Factors. OMEGA: Journal of Death and Dying. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228221124987
Breen, L. J., Lee, S. A., Mancini, V. O., Willis, M., & Neimeyer, R. A. (2022): Grief and functional impairment following COVID-19 loss in a treatment-seeking sample: The mediating role of meaning. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2022.2075540
Lee, S. A., Neimeyer, R. A., Mancini, V. O., & Breen, L. J. (2022). Unfinished business and self-blaming emotions among those bereaved by a COVID-19 death. Death Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2022.2067640
Ashraf, F., Lee, S. A., Jobe, M. C., Mathis, A. A., & Kanwal, T. (2022). Bereavement in Pakistan during the COVID-19 pandemic: Psychometric analysis of the Pandemic Grief Scale-Urdu Version (PGS-UV). Death Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2022.2048197
Caycho-Rodríguez, T., Valencia, P. D., Vilca, L. W., Lee, S. A., Carbajal-León, C., Vivanco-Vidal, A., Saroli-Araníbar, D., Reyes-Bossio, M., White, M., Rojas-Jara, C., Polanco-Carrasco, R., Gallegos, M., Cervigni, M., Martino, P., Palacios, D. A., Moreta-Herrera, R., Samaniego-Pinho, A., Rivera, M. E. L., Figares, A. B.,…Gallegos, W. L. A. (2021). COVID-19 bereavement in ten Latin American countries: Measurement invariance of the Pandemic Grief Scale and its relation to suicidal ideation. OMEGA: Journal of Death and Dying. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F00302228211048566
Breen, L. J., Mancini, V. O., Lee, S. A., Pappalardo, E. A., & Neimeyer, R. A. (2021). Risk factors for dysfunctional grief and functional impairment for all causes of death during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of meaning. Death Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2021.1974666
Caycho‑Rodríguez, T., Vilca, L. W., Vivanco‑Vidal, A., Saroli‑Araníbar, D., Carbajal‑León, C., Arias Gallegos, W. L., White, M., & Lee, S. A. (2021). Assessment of dysfunctional grief due to death from COVID-19 in Peru: Adaptation and validation of a Spanish version of the Pandemic Grief Scale. Trends in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-021-00091-1
Neimeyer, R. A., Milman, E., & Lee, S. A. (2021). Apocalypse now: COVID-19 and the crisis of meaning. In P. Pentaris (Ed.), Death, grief and loss in the context of COVID-19 (pp. 40-58). Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Death-Grief-and-Loss-in-the-Context-of-COVID-19/Pentaris/p/book/9780367647322
Lee, S. A., Neimeyer, R. A., & Breen, L. J. (2021). The utility of the Pandemic Grief Scale in identifying functional impairment from COVID-19 bereavement. Journal of Palliative Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2021.0103
Skalski, S., Konaszewski, K., Dobrakowski, P., Surzykiewicz, J., & Lee, S. A. (2021). Pandemic grief in Poland: Adaptation of a measure and its relationship with social support and resilience. Current Psychology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-021-01731-6
Neimeyer, R. A., & Lee, S. A. (2021). Circumstances of the death and associated risk factors for severity and impairment of COVID-19 grief. Death Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2021.1896459
Neimeyer, R. A., & Lee, S. A. (2021). When grief goes viral: Psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In K. J. Doka & A. S. Tucci (Eds.), Living with grief since COVID-19 (pp. 69-83). Hospice Foundation of America. https://hospicefoundation.org/HFA-Products/Living-with-Grief-Since-COVID-19-Book
Breen, L. J., Lee, S. A., & Neimeyer, R. A. (2021). Psychological risk factors of functional impairment following COVID-19 deaths. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2021.01.006
Lee, S. A., & Neimeyer, R. A. (2022). Pandemic Grief Scale: A screening tool for dysfunctional grief due to a COVID-19 Loss. Death Studies, 46(1), 14-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2020.1853885
Other's Publications
Benítez-Manzanas , L., Feixas, G., Gabarrell-Pascuet, A., Domènech-Abella , J., Mortier, P., Vilagut, G., Haro, J. M., & Alonso, J. (2022). The Association of Grief with Mental Health and the Role of Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Acción Psicológica, 19(1), 21–42. https://doi.org/10.5944/ap.19.1.36886
Kim, J. H., & Chung, S. (2023). Validation of the Korean version of the Utrecht Grief Rumination Scale and its relationship with COVID-related hypochondriasis among healthcare workers who witnessed patient deaths. Brain and Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.3203
Karimi, K., Yaghoobi, A., Güngör, S., Karimi, A., & Sohrabi, S. (2023). Measuring dysfunctional grief due to a COVID-19 Loss: A Kurdish validation study of the Pandemic Grief Scale. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228231193183
Hong, J., Park, C. H. K., Kim, H., Hong, Y., Ahn, J., Jun, J. Y., Park, J., Kim, J. H., Bang, Y. R., & Chung, S. (2023). Grief response of nursing professionals is associated with their depression, loneliness, insomnia, and work-related stress while working in COVID-19 inpatients wards. Psychiatry Investigation, 20(4), 374-381. https://doi.org/10.30773/pi.2022.0375
Kustanti, C. Y., Jen, H. -J., Chu, H., Liu, D., Chen, R., Lin, H. -C., Chang, C. -Y., Pien, L. -C., Chiang, K. -J., & Chou, K. -R. (2023). Prevalence of grief symptoms and disorders in the time of COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 00, 1–13. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/inm.13136
Nasri, E., Yousefi, S., Ashouri, A., & Mayeli, P. (2023). Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Pandemic Grief Scale. Bereavement: Journal of Grief and Responses to Death, 2, 1-10. https://bereavementjournal.org/index.php/bcj/issue/view/119
Kurt, M. E., Bicer, I., & Cakmak, C. (2022). Pandemic Grief Scale (PGS) study of the Turkish validity and reliability. Özgün Araştırma Makalesi, 18, 935-947. https://doi.org/10.38079/igusabder.996057
Majid, A., Suhaff, A. A., Teli, B. A., Rafiq, F., & Bhat, A. (2022). Impact of COVID‑19 pandemic on grief, death, mourning, and coping. Indian Journal Psychiatry, 64, 555-559. https://www.indianjpsychiatry.org/
van Schaik, T., Brouwer, M. A., Knibbe, N. E., Knibbe, H. J. J., & Teunissen, S. C. C. M. (2022). The Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on grief experiences of bereaved relatives: An overview review. OMEGA—Journal of Death and Dying. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228221143861
Caycho-Rodríguez, T., Valencia, P. D., Gallegos, M., Intimayta-Escalante, C., & White, M. (2022). Dysfunctional grief related to COVID-19 in Latin America. Electronic Journal of General Medicine. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/11543
El Sayed, S., Gomaa, S., Aboelfotoh, S., & El Wasify, M. (2021). Pandemic Grief Scale in detection of grief reaction among physicians in COVID-19 era. Middle East Current Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-021-00130-8
Evren, C., Evren, B., Dalbudak, E., Topcu, M., & Kutlu, N. (2021). Measuring dysfunctional grief due to a COVID-19 loss: A Turkish validation study of the Pandemic Grief Scale. Death Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2021.1897179
Programs and Presentations
All in The Mind with Sana Qadar (2022, April 17), “Grief and the pandemic,” with Dr. Breen and Dr. Lee as Guests.
Lee, S. A. (2021, March 31). Pandemic grief: A psychometric perspective [virtual presentation]. 1º Encontro Internacional De Saude Mental E As Reacoes Psicologicas E Neurologicas A COVID-19, São Paulo, Brazil. Presentation begins on 7hr 9min mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gqhHmV9SkY
Hospice Foundation of America webinar (2021, March 2), “Living with Grief Since COVID-19.”
Hospice Foundation of America webinar (2021, January 26), “The Shadow Pandemic: Psychological Screening and Intervention in the COVID-19 Crisis.”
Media
Vanessa Nirode’s (4/3/23) story for the Huffington Post, “The profound way that keeping a loved one’s clothes can help you grieve.”
Liz Tung’s (12/8/22) story in The Pulse, “‘This was going to be a tidal wave’: What makes pandemic grief similar to violent death grief.”
Caren Chesler’s (11/13/22) article in the Washington Post, “AI’s new frontier: Connecting grieving loved ones with the deceased.”
Mirage's (7/4/22) article, “Most British Covid mourners suffer PTSD symptoms: Survey.”
Grant Hilary Brenner’s (5/10/22) article in Psychology Today, “Understanding grief in the shadow of COVID-19: New research identifies key determinants of bereavement intensity.”
Lauren Breen’s (3/17/22) article for The Conversation, “COVID has changed how we live, how we die, and how we grieve.”
Jamie Aten and Kent Annan’s (12/15/21) article in the Better Samaritan, “Are You Struggling with COVID-19 Grief this Holiday Season?”
Stacey Burling’s (8/12/21) article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, “The pandemic made grief harder. Some may need help.”
Kerry Sheridan’s (7/15/21) story for WUSF Public Media (NPR Florida), “His sights were on medical school, when tragedy struck his family, twice.”
Kelly Grant and Sirman Singh’s (7/13/21) story for The Globe and Mail (Canada), “As many return to pre-pandemic life, families still grieving loved ones struggle to move forward.”
David Russell’s (7/5/21) book review in Death Studies, “The many voices of grieving during COVID-19.”
Linnea Crowther’s (6/23/21) article for Legacy.com, “It’s never too late: Hold the memorial service you couldn’t in 2020.”
Stephanie Pappas’s (6/1/21) article for APA’s Monitor on Psychology, “Helping patients cope with COVID-19 grief: The pandemic has drastically altered the way people mourn.”
Samantha Simons’ (5/13/21) article in the Amherst Wire, “Mourning a loss during the pandemic.”
Paula Derrow’s (5/3/21) Happify Daily article, “The unique pain of grieving during a pandemic.”
Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (4/27/21) Polish news article, “Complicated mourning. A new psychological effect of COVID-19.”
Ken Brack’s (4/26/21) Psychology Today article, “No return to normal: There’s a disconnect in the emerging conversation about pandemic grief.”
Gloria Anderson’s (4/18/21) book review in the Journal of Gerontological Social Work, “Living with Grief Since COVID-19.”
Christina Caron’s (4/1/21) article in The New York Times, “How to start healing during a season of grief.”
Cathy Alter’s (3/28/21) article in The Washington Post, “‘Pandemic grief’ proves especially devastating and complex for many in mourning, health experts say.”
Dr. Jamie Aten’s (3/12/21) interview in Psychology Today, “Measuring COVID's Effect on Grief: An interview with Sherman Lee on pandemic-related complications and grief."
Hippocratic Post (2/26/21) article, “Study suggests greater need for grief support.”
Curtin University’s (2/25/21) article, “A greater need for grief support due to COVID-19.”
CNU’s Newsroom (2/22/21) article, “Professor contributes to new Hospice book on pandemic: Dr. Sherman Lee offers counsel on how to ’Live with Grief.’”
Dr. Jamie Aten’s (2/10/21) interview in Psychology Today, “COVID's added impact to the grief of losing loved ones: Research shows how we can better support those grieving from loss during COVID.”
Joanne Kimberlin’s (1/29/21) article in The Virginia-Pilot, “Researchers warn of pandemic-related grief ‘tsunami’ .”
Beth Ellwood's (1/13/21) article in the PsyPost , "New “Pandemic Grief Scale” identifies dysfunctional grief associated with the loss of a loved one to COVID-19."
CNU’s Newsroom (1/7/21) article, “Preventing the Second Pandemic: Dr. Sherman Lee develops scale to measure COVID grief.”
Kali Venable’s (12/28/20) article in the Victoria Advocate, “'I can't believe she's gone': Pandemic restrictions, stressors compound grief process.”
The Research Team
Sherman A. Lee, PhD, is an associate professor of psychology at Christopher Newport University. He studies negative feeling states, such as anxiety and grief, with a specialization in psychological measurement. He has published over 85 journal articles and book chapters and teaches courses in the psychology of personality, psychology of the human-animal bond, and the psychology of death, dying, and bereavement.
Emily A. Pappalardo is an undergraduate psychology major, with a minor in leadership studies at Christopher Newport University. She currently is an undergraduate research assistant, planning to graduate in Spring 2023. Her interests include developmental and cognitive psychology.
Lauren J. Breen, PhD, is an associate professor of psychology at Curtin University. She studies the psychology of grief and loss and has published over 120 journal articles and book chapters. She teaches courses in ethics, research methods, and adult developmental psychology.
Vincent O. Mancini, PhD, is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia Law School and Senior Research Officer at Telethon Kids Institute. His primary area of research is the early biological and environmental determinants of neurodevelopment, with additional interests in the field of psychopathology, family law, and grief. He is also a registered psychologist with clinical experience in the field of trauma and paediatric psychopathology.
Robert A. Neimeyer, PhD, directs the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition, and maintains an active consulting and coaching practice. Neimeyer has published over 500 journal articles and book chapters as well as 30 books, including Techniques of Grief Therapy, and serves as Editor of Death Studies. He is currently working to advance a more adequate theory of grieving as a meaning-making process.