Do online support groups for grief benefit the bereaved? Systematic review of the quantitative and qualitative literature

Robinson, Ceit; Pond, Rachael

doi:10.1016/j.chb.2019.06.011

Cited by 45 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 42 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Participation in the peer support groups was associated with a sense of belonging to a community of care involving mutual understanding among the members. While similar findings have been reported in other contexts and populations (Hjelte et al, 2015;Robinson & Pond, 2019), our study brings new knowledge about bereaved mothers who have lost a child with a congenital heart defect. This study contributes with an in-depth understanding how bereaved mothers of children with congenital heart defects in particular cope with their loss by participating in online peer support.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…They were introduced to the closed groups by means of an invitation to join and thereafter continued to communicate emotional, appraisal as well as informational support. These findings were expected and confirmed what is already established in the field of peer-to-peer communication (Dennis, 2003;Robinson & Pond, 2019). Participation in the peer support groups was associated with a sense of belonging to a community of care involving mutual understanding among the members.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…The literature indicates potential benefits of online peer support for bereaved persons, referring to the positive attributes associated with being part of an understanding community (Robinson & Pond, 2019). One qualitative study exploring experiences of online peer support among four bereaved mothers who lost their child because of heart failure revealed that they communicated emotional, cognitive and community support, concluding that online peer support is a viable option for grieving parents (Aho et al, 2012).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another study showed that virtual communities may help bereaved parents cope with their grief and support their life-long needs in new and previously unavailable ways (Hård af Segerstad & Kasperowski, 2014). However, there is still a need for further qualitative exploration of experiences related to online peer support (Robinson & Pond, 2019). To the extent of our knowledge, very little is published with regard to the experiences of bereaved parents who have lost a child with a congenital heart defect.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Belonging to a community of care: Mothers’ experiences of online peer support groups for parents having lost a child with congenital heart defects

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Belonging to a community of care: Mothers’ experiences of online peer support groups for parents having lost a child with congenital heart defects

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The burden of not having been there for the last moments of a loved one and the absence of funeral rituals could have multiple impacts of mental health and grief processes that are yet to be qualified. While digital technology could offer means to mitigate these impacts, from online memorials and virtual funerals (Arnold, Gibbs, Kohn, Meese, & Nansen, 2018) to online peer support groups (Robinson and Pond, 2019), the benefits people can retain from these tools differ according to their digital skills levels. For instance, the lack of experience with online memorials features both on grief specific and unspecific websites (e.g.…”

Section: Vulnerability To the Repercussions Of The Crisismentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 and digital inequalities: Reciprocal impacts and mitigation strategies

Beaunoyer

Dupéré

Guitton

2020

Computers in Human Behavior

866

620

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

With more than three billion people in isolation, the status of digital spaces is switching from an amenity to a necessity, as they become not only the main way to access information and services, but also one of the only remaining vectors for economic, educational, and leisure activities as well as for social interactions to take place. However, not all are equals in terms of access to networks or connected devices, or when it comes to the skills required to navigate computerized spaces optimally. Digital inequalities were already existing, yet the COVID-19 crisis is exacerbating them dramatically. On the one hand, the crisis will worsen digital inequalities within the population. On the other hand, digital inequalities represent a major risk factor of vulnerability for exposure to the virus itself, and for the non-sanitary consequences of the crisis. Therefore, this paper aims at exploring the reciprocal impacts of the COVID-19 crisis and digital inequalities, and to propose operative solutions to help fight the nefarious consequences of the crisis. We first describe how digital inequalities are a determinant of health. We then investigate how COVID-19 can potentiate digital inequalities, and how digital inequalities potentiate vulnerability to COVID-19. Finally, in order to contribute to the mitigation of this crisis, we propose a set of multi-layered strategies focusing on actionability that can be implemented at multiple structural levels, ranging from governmental to corporate and community levels.

show abstract

Acknowledging bereavement, strengthening communities: Introducing an online compassionate community initiative for the recognition of pandemic grief

Ummel

Vachon

Guité-Verret

2021

American J of Comm Psychol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite public health measures and collective efforts, millions of individuals have unfortunately died from COVID‐19 complications worldwide, leaving several million family members at risk of developing bereavement complications. In the Canadian province of Quebec, where substantial deaths were associated with COVID‐19, we established an online support community for bereaved caregivers who lost a loved one during the pandemic. We explain how we created a community that recognized pandemic grief and advocated for its wider acknowledgment. We discuss “compassionate communities,” the theoretical underpinning of our initiative, as a means to foster solidarity, normalize finitude, create and maintain a safe social space through group sharing, and challenging capitalist principles. We then describe the eight areas of activities inspired by the Charter of Pallium Canada: education and training, hospices and nursing homes, media and social media, commemoration, celebrations, artistic practices and storytelling, marginalized populations, and review and evaluate. We propose that online communities constitute a powerful space for community members to gather and advocate for greater awareness of the inequities found in end‐of‐life care and bereavement services, to denounce abusive situations experienced by many individuals who died from COVID‐19 complications, and to fight against the lack of recognition experienced by numerous caregivers.

show abstract

Do online support groups for grief benefit the bereaved? Systematic review of the quantitative and qualitative literature

Cited by 45 publications

References 42 publications

Belonging to a community of care: Mothers’ experiences of online peer support groups for parents having lost a child with congenital heart defects

Belonging to a community of care: Mothers’ experiences of online peer support groups for parents having lost a child with congenital heart defects

COVID-19 and digital inequalities: Reciprocal impacts and mitigation strategies

Acknowledging bereavement, strengthening communities: Introducing an online compassionate community initiative for the recognition of pandemic grief

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About