People from Black and other minoritized ethnic communities are known to experience health and social care inequities, including barriers to accessing bereavement support. However, bereavement experiences and support needs in different population groups are poorly understood. This qualitative, co-produced study aimed to explore experiences of grief and bereavement among people of Black British and Black Caribbean heritage in England. Through community conversations and interviews with 35 participants, the study illuminates how structural inequities, cultural norms, and systemic racism intersect to shape grief experiences. Participants highlighted the importance of extended family and community in grief, which often clashed with the individualistic norms of white British society. Cultural customs that discouraged emotional expression made grieving harder, while rituals like Nine-Night and storytelling provided crucial communal support. Findings inform evidence-based recommendations for systemic reforms and community-level action to help improve experiences among Black British and Black Caribbean bereaved people in England.

Bereavement represents a significant public health concern due to rising mortality rates in the United States. Little is known about the availability and distribution of bereavement services at the state and local level, hindering efforts to assess how well these services address community needs. This cross-sectional study analyzed bereavement agencies across Michigan's 83 counties, examining services and the relationship between mortality rates and service availability. Findings reveal geographic disparities, with urban counties often lacking adequate bereavement services despite high mortality rates, while rural counties demonstrate limited services and significant variation in accessibility. Many agencies provide generalized support, which may not address the diverse needs of grieving individuals based on age, cultural background, or type of loss. These disparities underscore the concept of "bereavement service deserts," defined as areas with disproportionately high mortality rates compared to the availability of bereavement services. Expanding services requires equitable resource distribution and sustainable tailored interventions.

Sibling relationships, often the longest in a person's life, carry deep emotional bonds, making their loss complex yet underrepresented in grief literature. This interpretive, meta-ethnographic qualitative synthesis explored adult sibling bereavement due to illness or accident, analyzing 10 English-language studies (2003-2024) using Noblit and Hare's (1988) protocol. Three meta-themes were developed: (1) Death's Ripple Effect, (2) The Space Between Grief and Healing, and (3) Navigating a New Reality. This paper highlights the unique challenges faced by surviving siblings-such as their fractured parallel life, role substitution, and identity disruption-and emphasizes the need for bereavement support that is specifically tailored to these dynamics. The authors recommend that program design is informed by research evidence that shows the importance of age as well as identity-focused and role-sensitive approaches. Existing bereavement interventions are effective but lack specificity, especially for sibling loss, highlighting the need for more targeted and evidenced support.

Euthanasia is often considered an individual choice, yet the process and the status passages are embedded in three dimensions-medico-legal, ritual, and personal-which are intertwined. This paper explores how individuals and their social circles manage and frame these dimensions and passages with ritual behavior. Using interviews and observations, this study explores the current ritual repertoire in the Netherlands surrounding euthanasia trajectories. Findings suggest these rituals mark status passages, reinforcing bonds and structuring the emotional and social experience of individuals and their networks. By framing euthanasia as a ritualized process, this study offers new insights into the interplay between agency, communal support, and end-of-life decision-making.

Little is known about the relation between firefighting experience and attitudes toward death. The aim of this study was therefore to examine attitudes toward death among 931 Polish firefighters (M = 36.73; SD = 8.84) in relation to their length of service and their occupational roles, which were categorized as follows: working in an operational division, managing operational divisions, and working in administrative roles. Firefighters completed online measures of attitudes toward death. Findings indicate that longer service correlated positively with death avoidance, escape acceptance and separation from the death experience, but negatively with death trivialization. Furthermore, firefighters in operational divisions scored higher on trivialization and tabooization of death and lower on neutral acceptance of death than their counterparts. The research findings reveal that firefighters exhibit positive and negative attitudes toward death, which vary based on their length of service and specific occupational roles.

Honor killings are a complex social phenomenon within Israel's Arab society, reflecting tensions between patriarchal traditions and modern values of equality and human rights. This study aims to develop a predictive model for understanding attitudes toward honor killings in this population, exploring the influence of cultural, social, and demographic factors. A total of 296 Israeli Arabs participated in the study. Utilizing purposive sampling, data collection employed both online and physical channels. Regression analysis was conducted on attitudes toward honor killings, cultural identification, community coherence, and perceived anomie. The model found partial support, revealing cultural identification as a significant predictor-stronger identification correlated with more favorable attitudes. Gender, age, and education background also emerged as significant variables, with men, older individuals, and those with secondary education expressing greater support. Surprisingly, community coherence, place attachment, anomie, and subjective social mobility did not predict attitudes. This research underscores the cultural uniqueness of honor killings and advances ecological theory by integrating demographic and cultural variables. Practical implications suggest targeted interventions, emphasizing resources for male engagement, educational programs promoting gender equality, and community leader condemnation.

This qualitative study explored older adults' lived experiences navigating daily life after the death of their loved one and their perspectives participating in a digital health intervention (DHI) to promote emotional health. We performed semi structured, one-on-one interviews with 14 older bereaved adults. Audio recordings were transcribed and coded using content and thematic analyses. We then explored relationships between codes to identify categories and themes. Five themes emerged: 1) participants were actively involved in social/leisure activities until their partner became ill; 2) the immediate aftermath of the death is characterized by estate handling and intense grief; 3) participants struggled with loneliness; 4) the death generated new responsibilities; and 5) the DHI improved mindfulness and daily routines. Future research efforts are needed to reduce loneliness to help maintain the health and quality of life for aging widow(er)s. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: STUDY 19080030.

Termination of pregnancy (TOP) due to possible fetal abnormalities is known to be associated with various mental health problems. This study examines associations between potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs), moral injury outcomes (MI), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and prolonged grief (PG) among treatment-seeking women following late pregnancy loss. A volunteer sample of ( = 132) Israeli women who attended a reproductive psychiatry clinic following TOP ( = 99) or pregnancy loss due to intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD;  = 33), responded to self-report questionnaires in a cross-sectional, comparative study. Results show that among participants in the TOP group, PMIEs-self predicted MI outcomes of shame, and PMIEs-betrayal predicted MI outcomes of trust violation. Importantly, following exposure to PMIE-self, MI outcomes of trust violation significantly predicted both PTSD and PG symptoms. This study emphasized that TOP due to possible fetal abnormalities, may constitute a morally injurious experience, highlighting the need for clinical interventions addressing MI.

Death anxiety can affect the quality of life of patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers. This study examines the trajectory of death anxiety over one year and in relation to patients' death. We conducted a longitudinal cohort study with five assessment points over one year. We recruited patients with incurable cancer and their family caregivers. Death anxiety was measured using the Death and Dying Distress Scale and analyzed via multilevel models. Among 671 patients and 168 family caregivers, death anxiety decreased over one year ( = -1.6, < .001), and was higher in family caregivers ( = 17.4, p < .001). Among 435 deceased patients, death anxiety intensified near death and followed a non-linear trajectory ( = 1.9, = .02), with family caregivers experiencing a greater increase ( = 23.8, < .001). Early psychological support can help patients and their family caregivers to manage end-of-life distress.

The COVID pandemic resulted in widespread grief due to the high number of deaths. The aim of this qualitative study was to understand patterns of grief and bereavement following a COVID death. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 individuals who had lost someone close to them to COVID. Thematic analysis revealed that specific features of COVID, as well as complex interdependence within the community, shaped the experience of grieving a COVID death. These experiences, in turn, led to disruptions in coping and moving on from the death, resulting in a long psychological tail of COVID and foreignness of the loss to others. Overall, participants described a grieving process that was unsupported, protracted, and in some cases, ongoing years after the death. Taken together, these findings suggest the potential usefulness of targeted interventions to address the unique psychological factors in grieving a COVID death, with potential implications for other complex losses.

Grief attacks-sudden, unexpected and intense upsurges of loss-related anguish-are a common grief-specific phenomenon. However, no research has identified the range of symptomatology that characterizes this experience, nor is there a validated instrument to measure its intensity. Therefore, our objectives were to identify the components underlying grief attacks, develop a self-report measure of the phenomenon, and explore the circumstances in which they arise, their frequency and duration, and how persons who suffer them attempt to cope with their occurrence. A study of 247 bereaved adults revealed that a grief attack is composed of four dimensions (i.e., panic, yearning, disorganization, and despair). Based on these findings, we created the Grief Attack Questionnaire (GAQ), which demonstrated solid reliability and convergent validity. A GAQ total score of ≥ 35 was found to yield a strong sensitivity rate, but a modest specificity rate, in classifying persons with and without impairing levels of grief.

This study examined profiles of rumination and their associations with suicidal ideation and behavior. Two hundred fourteen adults (≥18 years) completed an online survey between July 2024 and March 2025. Latent profile analysis used four rumination subtypes. Five profiles emerged: (20.1%), (30.4%), - (21.0%), (11.2%), and (17.3%). Compared with the low rumination class, depression was higher in the classes (ORs = 1.95-2.10), anxiety was elevated across all higher-rumination classes (ORs = 1.61-2.33), and attentional control was lower in the classes (ORs  0.82). Moderate and high classes also showed greater suicidal ideation, intensity, and risk. Both brooding-intrusive and reflection-deliberate rumination were associated with increased suicide risk, underscoring the need to address diverse rumination styles in suicide prevention.

Adults residing in communities that experience mass violence incidents (MVI) frequently experience adverse mental and behavioral health outcomes. However, little is known about the impact of experiencing the death of a close acquaintance during an MVI, which limits response efforts. Using a household probability sample of adults from six MVI-affected communities, this study examined the prevalence and correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and prolonged grief (PGD) among individuals residing in MVI-affected communities who experienced the death of a close acquaintance. 41.7% and 22.8% met criteria for past-year PTSD and depression, respectively. Nearly 1 in 5 and 1 in 10 met criteria for current PTSD and depression, respectively. Approximately 3.7% met criteria for PGD. Prior trauma exposure, low social support, and binge drinking were strong correlates of adverse outcomes. Individuals who experience the MVI-related death of an acquaintance in their community may be particularly vulnerable and warrant additional support.

Parental bereavement has both intrapersonal and interpersonal effects. Although gender differences in grief are acknowledged, the ways in which fathers experience the grief process after the loss of a child have been largely neglected. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of fathers' grief processes and the psychological impacts of bereavement while also comparing study methodologies. The CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases were searched with relevant keywords in December 2023 and 18 studies (9 quantitative, 8 qualitative, and 1 mixed) were identified. The findings predominantly demonstrate that while fathers may appear less affected than mothers, their grief processes may endure for extended periods. Fathers often use maladaptive coping strategies, leading to psychological disorders such as depression and PTSD. Interpreted through the lens of the Dual Process Model, these results highlight the significant psychological impact of child loss on fathers.

As more countries legalize assisted dying (AD), one issue increasingly debated is institutional objection. This is when an institution decides it does not want to provide AD and wishes to prohibit some or all aspects of the AD process from occurring onsite. Aotearoa New Zealand legalized AD in 2021 but its legislation does not address institutional objection. This paper presents the first detailed examination of this issue in Aotearoa New Zealand drawing on the perspectives of 81 key stakeholders in a wider national study of AD. This research identified six themes: institutional objections and their nature vary across settings; the basis for institutional objection; how institutional objection is communicated and navigated; positions of staff in objecting institutions; harms of institutional objections; and changes over time toward greater institutional acceptance of AD. These findings have implications for how AD is regulated in Aotearoa New Zealand and in other countries.

Land is central to and holds agency in death and dying belief and knowledge systems within Native American communities in North America. These land-informed belief and knowledge systems serve as the foundation for a Native American Death Pedagogy. Possibilities and futurities of Native American Death Pedagogy has been negatively impacted by historical and ongoing effects of settler colonialism. As settler colonialism functions to eliminate Native American lifeways, it simultaneously makes space to replace with Western socio-political systems and frameworks. For death and dying practices, these Western socio-political systems and frameworks can be referred to as a Western Death System-an expansion of Robert Kastenbaum's theory of the Death System. Through experiential knowledge and a conceptual review, this article will address the significance of land in Native American Death Pedagogy and the challenges from the Western Death System.

Although euthanasia is an increasingly debated issue, there is little information on the beliefs held by patients with advanced diseases and their relatives on it. As part of the ILive project, our research team aimed at filling that gap by conducting a study on the degree of agreement among Argentine patients with terminal illnesses and their relatives on end-of-life medical decisions using the Attitudes toward Euthanasia (ATE) scale. Data analysis showed that 77 of 153 patients (50.3%) and 73 of 139 patients' relatives (52.5%) scored higher than 30 on the scale. Agreement with performing euthanasia was positively associated with living alone but negatively related to religiosity among both the relative and the patient samples. These results suggest a tendency to agree with practices that allow or assist with dying, including euthanasia. We hope that this study will contribute to a more comprehensive and nuanced discussion on these controversial topics.

Media portrayals of overcoming suicidal crises can beneficially contribute to suicide prevention, a phenomenon termed the Papageno effect. The present study ( = 322) is the first to utilize an experimental design to investigate the possible suicide-preventive impact of popular music. The participants listened either to three songs with explicit suicide-preventive messages (intervention group) or three matched songs from the same artists without such explicit messages (control group). Suicidal thoughts were measured before and after exposure. Listening to songs with suicide-preventive lyrics elicited a significant reduction in suicidal thoughts consistent with the Papageno effect. In an exploratory analysis, we also identified a small suicide-preventive impact in the control group. A reduction in suicidal thoughts was observed only in those participants in the control group who reported beneficial thoughts related to a Papageno narrative. This finding provides tentative evidence that songs with, but also without, explicit suicide-preventive messages may be helpful.

Schools are well placed to provide bereavement support for pupils, yet teachers do not always feel equipped or confident to provide support and children and young people do not always feel well supported. This article investigates the factors that facilitate or hinder schools' engagement in supporting bereaved children through a systematic literature analysis from the years of 2018-2025, providing an overview of the most current literature. Papers were analyzed thematically within the categories of: support available, factors that facilitate support and factors that block support. All barriers had a parallel facilitating factor; the evidence base therefore was identified to show how the factors that block schools engaging in bereavement support can also be mediated. The review reflects on how the educational psychology profession may have a role in supporting schools to provide support through supervision, emotional containment and training.

The emergence of social media (SM) has transformed grief expressions from a private to a public experience, with digital platforms facilitating remembrance, social connections, and communal grieving. This scoping review aimed to explore SM usage when experiencing death-related grief, determine the impact of SM usage on the bereaved, and the study designs used to analyze such studies. We adopted the 5-stage framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley. Seven databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles related to SM and grief published between 2010 and 2025, and inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, resulting in 61 studies being included. The review resulted in five core themes: cry for help, maintaining continuing bonds with the deceased, digital memorialization and rituals, developing and maintaining a sense of community, and emotional expression tool. This review highlighted the emerging role of SM in shaping grief experiences while identifying significant gaps within the existing literature.

Grief is an emotional experience influenced by cultural context, yet there is currently no validated tool available to assess it within the general Greek-speaking population, limiting both clinical assessment and cross-cultural research. The Texas Revised Inventory of Grief (TRIG) measures grief intensity after the death of a loved one through two subscales, TRIG past and TRIG present, and this study aimed to adapt and evaluate the Greek TRIG psychometric properties. A total of 197 bereaved Greek-speaking adults, who had experienced a loss within the past 3-24 months participated in the study. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original two-factor structure of the TRIG, with satisfactory internal consistency and measurement invariance across sex. Differences in grief were observed based on family status, education, time since loss, relationship to the deceased, and cause of death. The Greek TRIG is a valid and reliable tool for assessing grief in general population.