Family Bereavement: Societal Prevalence, Patterning, and Consequences

University Of Southern California, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

This project investigates family bereavement—the phenomenon of experiencing the death of a family member. Extensive research has identified how economic and social hardship can contribute to an individual’s risk of death; yet we know less about whether the death of a family member can induce hardships for those bereaved. Scientific efforts to understand family bereavement are highly relevant given the COVID-19 pandemic—a global mortality event of historic proportions that has left millions of individuals grieving the abrupt death of relatives. This study offers a life course overview of family bereavement and its socioeconomic and health consequences. Whereas past studies have focused on singular types of family loss, like parental death, this study considers multiple relatives. This allows clarification of the societal burden of different types of bereavement and their unique consequences for individuals. Findings can inform programmatic efforts to address the effects of bereavement on population health, prosperity, and welfare. In addition to generating findings of high relevance to public health, this research supports diversity in science through the mentoring and training of students from historically under-represented groups. The first goal of the project is to identify the consequences of family bereavement by analyzing rich survey data on a cohort of 1,500 young adults. The data feature detailed family history information, including whether relatives are still alive and if not, how long ago they died, how old they were at the time of death, and whether they suffered from prolonged illness. These data are used to analyze whether experiences of family bereavement influence young adults’ wellbeing, including their mental and physical health and educational success. The second goal of the study is to use cross-national survey data on more than 3.7 million youth and 1.8 million adults to offer a comprehensive overview of the societal and life course patterns of family bereavement in more than 50 locations. By identifying the societal burden of family bereavement at the community, regional, and higher levels, and elucidating between-family and cohort differences in life course patterns of bereavement for multiple birth cohorts, the study offers foundational knowledge on family bereavement. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.