Background:

The constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic hindered the experience of grief and promoted the occurrence of complicated grief.

Objective:

To determine the prevalence of complicated grief in family members of people who died from COVID-19; to verify whether coping strategies can predict grief.

Methodology:

This is a cross-sectional observational study with descriptive-correlational analysis using a non-probability sample of 86 participants. The data were explored using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results:

Fifty-two family members (60.5%) experienced complicated grief. Emotion-oriented coping correlated positively with grief in the Global dimension (p = 0.29; p = 0.01), the Denial and anger dimension (p = 0.35; p < 0.001), and the Depressive dimension (p = 0.28; p = 0.01). Task-oriented coping correlated negatively with the Denial and anger dimension (p = -0.24; p = 0.03).

Conclusion:

The participants present a high probability of experiencing complicated grief. Thus, the implementation of psychological support measures is recommended.

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