This report presents findings of an environmental scan and semi-structured interviews with key contributors, including governmental and non-governmental contributors, such as researchers, clinicians, advocates, service provider/payers, and policy experts. The findings included in this report are organized by specific domains and themes found within the peer-reviewed and grey literature. Specific topics include: the typical grieving process; defining and identifying prolonged grief disorder (PGD) and complicated grief (CG); PGD Comorbidities; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on PGD; the impact of PGD on substance use; the impact of grief on suicidal behaviors and ideation; social factors impacting bereavement; equity implications of bereavement and grief services; the current state of bereavement and support services; approaches to and effectiveness of services for PGD and CG; and barriers to seeking bereavement support. The report concludes with recommendations for enhancing health systems and services.
This research was conducted under contract between HHS/ASPE’s Office of Behavioral Health, Disability, and Aging Policy (BHDAP) and Mathematica. Additional research in this area is available at the ASPE Behavioral Health page, ASPE Public Health page, and ASPE COVID-19 page.
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Available Reports:
Related Resources:
- Implementing and Sustaining Zero Suicide: Health Care System Efforts to Prevent Suicide (2023)
- Interventions to Prevent Older Adult Suicide: Final Report (2023)
- Racial and Ethnic Differences in Encounters Related to Suicidal Behavior Among Children and Adolescents With Medicaid Coverage During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2023)