What is the research study about?
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted literally every aspect of life, including how we die and how we grieve. We are doing this research to understand the grief experiences and support needs of people who have been bereaved from any cause during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We want to understand your experiences of grieving, the support you have needed while grieving, and the effect of COVID-19 public health measures on your grief (e.g., lockdown, limited visits to a hospital or aged care service, funerals arrangements, etc.) If you have experienced the death of someone in your life during 2020, we would like to invite you to participate in this study.
Who is conducting this research?
Professor Elizabeth Lobb, a bereavement counsellor and academic at UTS is the lead investigator of this study.
Other investigators on the study are:
Dr. Fiona Maccallum - University of Queensland
Professor Meera Agar - University of Technology Sydney
Professor Jane Phillips - University of Technology Sydney
A/Professor Lauren Breen - Curtin University
Dr. Tim Luckett - University of Technology Sydney
A/Professor Michelle DiGiacomo - University of Technology Sydney
Professor Jennifer Philip - University of Melbourne
Professor Jennifer Tieman - Flinders University
A/Professor Annmarie Hosie - University of Notre Dame Australia
What does participation involve?
Participating involves completing an anonymous online survey that asks questions about your experience of bereavement, the kinds of support (if any) you have received and wanted, and your own strategies to manage your grief. The survey takes about 20 minutes and can be accessed here:
https://redcap.link/z94laqf9
We would also like to understand how your support needs may change over time. We understand that as businesses are re-opening and we are being told things are going 'back to normal', there is no back to normal for people who have experienced a death during 2020. We would like to better understand how your support needs may change over time through 10-20 minute surveys that will be sent to you 3 months apart. If you are interested in participating in these additional surveys, please tick yes to this option at the end of the online survey linked above.
The fourth element of this national bereavement project is interviews with multicultural and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health care workers. We will be conducting interviews and focus groups to gain a richer understanding of the bereavement experiences of these groups.
If you have concerns about the research that you think we can help you with, please feel free to contact the Chief Investigator for this research project, Professor Liz Lobb () or the project manager, Dr. Serra Ivynian ( on .
If you would like to talk to someone who is not connected with the research, you may contact the Research Ethics Officer on or and quote this number [UTS HREC ETH20-5447].
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted literally every aspect of life, including how we die and how we grieve. We are doing this research to understand the grief experiences and support needs of people who have been bereaved from any cause during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We want to understand your experiences of grieving, the support you have needed while grieving, and the effect of COVID-19 public health measures on your grief (e.g., lockdown, limited visits to a hospital or aged care service, funerals arrangements, etc.) If you have experienced the death of someone in your life during 2020, we would like to invite you to participate in this study.
Who is conducting this research?
Professor Elizabeth Lobb, a bereavement counsellor and academic at UTS is the lead investigator of this study.
Other investigators on the study are:
Dr. Fiona Maccallum - University of Queensland
Professor Meera Agar - University of Technology Sydney
Professor Jane Phillips - University of Technology Sydney
A/Professor Lauren Breen - Curtin University
Dr. Tim Luckett - University of Technology Sydney
A/Professor Michelle DiGiacomo - University of Technology Sydney
Professor Jennifer Philip - University of Melbourne
Professor Jennifer Tieman - Flinders University
A/Professor Annmarie Hosie - University of Notre Dame Australia
What does participation involve?
Participating involves completing an anonymous online survey that asks questions about your experience of bereavement, the kinds of support (if any) you have received and wanted, and your own strategies to manage your grief. The survey takes about 20 minutes and can be accessed here:
https://redcap.link/z94laqf9
We would also like to understand how your support needs may change over time. We understand that as businesses are re-opening and we are being told things are going 'back to normal', there is no back to normal for people who have experienced a death during 2020. We would like to better understand how your support needs may change over time through 10-20 minute surveys that will be sent to you 3 months apart. If you are interested in participating in these additional surveys, please tick yes to this option at the end of the online survey linked above.
The fourth element of this national bereavement project is interviews with multicultural and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health care workers. We will be conducting interviews and focus groups to gain a richer understanding of the bereavement experiences of these groups.
If you have concerns about the research that you think we can help you with, please feel free to contact the Chief Investigator for this research project, Professor Liz Lobb () or the project manager, Dr. Serra Ivynian ( on .
If you would like to talk to someone who is not connected with the research, you may contact the Research Ethics Officer on or and quote this number [UTS HREC ETH20-5447].
This project has been funded by the Australian Government Medical Research Future Fund