"Am I normal? Is this normal?": Supporting a community approach to grief

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Public Health
• Community Psychology

Background:

• The grief literacy movement seeks to re-establish open conversations about death, dying, and grief in communities.
• Historically, families provided essential grief support, but these skills have diminished in the Global North.
• There is a need to support families and communities in relearning and reclaiming grief support competencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an online resource designed to enhance grief literacy.
• To explore the resource's effectiveness in supporting knowledge, skills, and values for grief support within family and friend networks.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative interviews with 16 participants.
• Group interviews with 7 participants.
• Evaluation of an online resource for grief literacy.

Main Results:

• The online resource was confirmed as an effective mechanism for increasing grief literacy knowledge and skills.
• Participants reported enhanced ability to identify grief and seek appropriate support.
• The resource supported the concept of collective grief, where loss is a shared social or cultural experience.

Conclusions:

• The developed online resource successfully enhances grief literacy within family and friend networks.
• Empowering communities to support collective grief is crucial, shifting focus from professional bereavement services.
• Rebuilding community-based grief support systems is vital for societal well-being.