As repercussões do luto no cotidiano de adultos que perderam familiares por complicações de Covid-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused in Brazil, up to January 2024, more than 708 thousand deaths, leaving hundreds of thousands of Brazilians grieving. Grief is understood as an experience resulting from a significant loss, which implies a process of meaning-making. GENERAL OBJECTIVE: To understand the repercussions of grief in the daily lives of adults who experienced the loss of family members in the context of COVID-19. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: To identify in the literature the repercussions of grief in daily life, and to describe the repercussions experienced in daily life following the loss of a family member due to COVID-19. METHODOLOGY: Two methodological paths were carried out to meet the objectives: one for literature review (Study I) and another for field research (Study II). Regarding Study I, the PRISMA organizational proposal was used. The consulted databases were BVS and Scielo, selecting texts published in the last 10 years (2013 - 2023) and in Portuguese. As for Study II, it was an exploratory and descriptive research with a qualitative approach. The instruments used were a sociodemographic questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The questionnaire data were analyzed descriptively, and the interviews followed the treatment proposed by the Oral History method and analyzed by Bardin's Content Analysis. RESULTS: The literature review identified 32 articles that brought elements about the repercussion of grief in daily life. These were grouped into 5 categories of analysis: maternal grief, widow grief, grief for the loss of young people in the family, grief of parents who lost their children, and other experiences of grief due to the loss of family members. Six adults, aged 20 to 46 years, mostly female, participated in the field research. Five categories of analysis were constructed from the interviews: possible farewell rituals; emotional states after the loss; grieving daily routines in the pandemic context; coping strategies adopted; and whether there was prolonged grief. It was observed that farewell rituals were affected by the pandemic context, and after the loss, the bereaved felt anxious, with depressed mood, and intense anger. Thus, daily activities such as self-care, work, study, leisure, and social participation were modified or temporarily interrupted. In addition, the bereaved needed to assume new responsibilities, learn new tasks, and take care of other family members. Coping strategies also became part of this new daily life, such as: psychotherapy, religious/spiritual practices, expressive activities, physical exercises, and activities with family and friends. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: Adults who lost loved ones due to COVID-19 complications experienced the construction of new daily arrangements, reported shaken emotional states, and sought coping strategies. It is recommended that further research be conducted to understand how these bereaved individuals are currently faring.