Who Will Wipe my Tears? Notes on grief and orphanhood in the covid-19 pandemic in light of attachment theory
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.9789/2525-3050.2026.v11n21.e13537Keywords:
Orphanhood, Pandemic, Child grief, Attachment, Covid-19Abstract
An integrative review aimed to understand, in the light of Attachment Theory, the impact of the loss of parents on the mental health of children orphaned by the COVID-19 pandemic. Searches were conducted from March to April 2022 in the databases: CINAHL, PsycNET, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Of the 121 articles initially reported, only five studies met the inclusion criteria. It is estimated that more than five million children were orphaned by SARS-CoV-2 worldwide, with a prevalence of paternal orphans, as well as those from family groups with less-favored socioeconomic conditions. Differences in the number of orphans were also found between countries. Complicated grief, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder are identified as the main psychosocial impacts of parental loss. Given the scant evidence found and the secondary data source of the evaluated studies, generalizations cannot be made due to the risk of bias. However, the need for further investigations is evident to better clarify orphanhood due to the current pandemic, as well as the influence of social inequalities in the mourning of orphans.
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