School of Social Work, Associate Professor, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, United States of America.
School of Social Work, Adjunct Faculty, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2021 May 27;16(5):e0252324. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252324. eCollection 2021.
Social support seems to enhance wellbeing and health in many populations. Conversely, poor social support and loneliness are a social determinant of poor health outcomes and can adversely affect physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Social support is especially important in traumatic grief. However, the ways in which grieving individuals interpret and define social support is not well understood, and little is known about what specific behaviours are perceived as helpful. Using qualitative description and content analysis, this study assessed bereaved individuals' satisfaction of social support in traumatic grief, using four categories of social support as a framework. Findings suggest inadequate satisfaction from professional, familial, and community support. Pets emerged with the most satisfactory ratings. Further, findings suggest that emotional support is the most desired type of support following traumatic loss. Implications for supporting bereaved individuals within and beyond the context of the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed.
社会支持似乎可以增强许多人群的幸福感和健康水平。相反，不良的社会支持和孤独感是健康状况不佳的社会决定因素，会对身体、情感和心理健康产生不利影响。社会支持在创伤性悲伤中尤为重要。然而，悲伤个体如何解释和定义社会支持还不是很清楚，也不知道哪些特定的行为被认为是有帮助的。本研究使用定性描述和内容分析，以四类社会支持为框架，评估了创伤性悲伤中丧亲个体对社会支持的满意度。研究结果表明，专业、家庭和社区支持的满意度不足。宠物的满意度最高。此外，研究结果表明，在经历创伤性丧失后，情感支持是最需要的支持类型。讨论了在 COVID-19 大流行背景内外支持丧亲者的意义。
