Can Physical Activity Support Grief Outcomes in Individuals Who Have Been Bereaved? A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background In 2018, there were 616,014 registered deaths in the United Kingdom (UK). Grief is a natural consequence. Many mental health concerns, which can be identified as grief outcomes (e.g. anxiety and depression) in those who have experienced a bereavement, can be improved through physical activity. The objective of this review was to identify from the existing literature if physical activity can benefit grief outcomes in individuals who have been bereaved. Methods A systematic review of nine databases was performed. Included studies (qualitative and quantitative) explored physical activity to help individuals (of any age) who had experienced a human bereavement (excluding national loss). Results From 1299 studies screened, 25 met the inclusion criteria, detailing eight types of bereavement (parental (n = 5), spousal (n = 6), patient (n = 4), pre-natal (n = 3), later life (n = 1), caregiver (n = 1), multiple (n = 4) and non-defined (n = 1). Activities including yoga, running, walking and martial arts were noted as beneficial. Physical activity allowed a sense of freedom, to express emotions, provided a distraction and an escape from grief, whilst enhancing social support. Conclusion There is some evidence that physical activity may provide benefit for the physical health and psychological wellbeing of those who have been bereaved, including when the loss has happened at a young age. This review is timely, given the wide-scale national loss of life due to COVID-19 and extends knowledge in this area. More research is needed to explore the benefits of physical activity for those who have been bereaved. In particular, there is a need for well-designed interventions which are tailored to specific activities, populations and grief outcomes.

Death of a child and the risk of heart failure: a population-based cohort study from Denmark and Sweden

“…Second, our lack of or limited information on parents' psychosocial resources (other than socioeconomic and marital status), participation in bereavement support groups, physical activity, or medications limited our possibilities to investigate factors that may modify the association between the death of a child and the risk of stroke. For example, preliminary evidence suggests that treatment with 6 weeks of low-dose metoprolol and aspirin may reduce the adverse effect of bereavement on the risk of CVD 29 or that bereaved individuals' well-being may benefit from physical activity, 30 which in turn may also affect their risk of CVD. We hope that our findings may inspire others with data on such potential effect modifiers to study and eventually identify possibilities to mitigate the cardiovascular effects of bereavement.…”

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