Psychological Consequences of the Delay in the Silent Mentor Programme During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives From Family Members of Silent Mentors

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a hold on the Silent Mentor Programme (SMP); this pause has not only caused unprecedented challenges for the delivery of medical education but has forced changes in the programme ceremony sessions. We aimed to describe the psychological impact and experiences of family members of silent mentors during the COVID-19 pandemic using qualitative interviews. Many expressed feelings of remorse and unrest about the unprecedented delay of the SMP. The delay increased negative emotions particularly among some elderly family members; however, there was no prominent negative effect on their functional health and well-being. Several participants relayed the belief that the soul cannot rest until the body receives a proper burial while some worried about the deterioration of the physical condition of the mentors. In conclusion, findings provide insights into the importance of not overlooking the mental health implications of delaying the SMP in future outbreaks or crises.

Family grief during the COVID-19 pandemic: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies

“…The age of the deceased, provided by six articles 36,39,42,43,44,45 , ranged between 19 and 90 years of age. The deaths occurred during the pandemic period, with COVID-19 being the main cause of death, although it is not possible to specify the exact number of people who died.…”

“…It is known that, from the total of bereaved individuals interviewed, at least 346 people lost family members due to COVID-19 and ten individuals, to other causes (illness = 4, accident = 2, normal death = 2, cardiac arrest = 1, and suicide = 1). The causes of death of the family members of the remaining 51 bereaved were not specified in four articles 35,37,41,42 . Regarding place of death, 87 took place in hospitals, 41 in nursing homes, 18 in intensive care units, 12 at home, nine in the coronavirus ward, four in general ward, two in a hospice, one at the location of accident, one in a psychiatric hospital, one in a sheltered house and one in a government isolation facility.…”

“…Regarding place of death, 87 took place in hospitals, 41 in nursing homes, 18 in intensive care units, 12 at home, nine in the coronavirus ward, four in general ward, two in a hospice, one at the location of accident, one in a psychiatric hospital, one in a sheltered house and one in a government isolation facility. The location of the other deaths was not specified in six articles 37,38,41,42,46,47 .…”

“…al. 42 pandemic can be understood from two distinct moments, before and after death, which are permeated by suffering arising from situations of abandonment and isolation.…”

Sociographie des ritualités funéraires en temps de pandémie: des rites empêchés aux rites appropriés

“…D'autres ont été contraintes de faire incinérer leur proche, en raison des directives gouvernementales obligeant la crémation des corps infectés par la Covid‐19 (Ussai et al., 2020). Les délais ont également causé des difficultés pour les familles de personnes ayant offert leur corps à la science (Wong et al., 2021). Dans quelques pays, c'est l’État qui a dû prendre en charge la responsabilité de disposer des corps (Menon et al., 2021) et l'armée a dû être appelée en renfort pour gérer l'accumulation des cercueils (Ussai et al., 2020) afin notamment de les transférer dans des installations moins achalandées à l'extérieur de la ville du décès (Trabucchi & De Leo, 2020).…”