Online resource supports grieving families across UK

Southampton researchers have developed a resource to help families cope with loss.

The Family and Friends in Bereavement site was created by researchers at the University of Southampton (UoS). It was a collaboration with people who had been bereaved and bereavement professionals.

The free, publicly accessible resource is helping families and friends face the death of someone important to them by encouraging them to grieve together. It is available to use here.

Impact of COVID-19

Many people turn to those important to them when a loved one dies.

This became much more difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social restrictions made it hard for family and friends to be with the dying and only small numbers of people were able to attend funerals.

This added to the feelings of isolation and guilt often experienced during bereavement.

The Southampton team saw the need for more support which would be accessible to all and started developing an online resource. This was shaped by hearing about people’s bereavement experiences during 2021.

Underpinned by theory, the resource provides some things to try to help people share experiences of grief and make sense of loss.

Family-centred approach

The resource focuses on the grief experience of the family rather than the individual. This unique focus has resonated with many users.

“I liked the angle of a family context and how you cope as a family in bereavement,” one user explained. “I’ve not come across that before. That’s a really helpful way to approach grief because it’s not individual.”

The foundation of this resource draws on two theories – the family extension to the Dual Process Model and Family Sense of Coherence - which you can read more about here.

Dr Natasha Campling, Dr Michelle Myall and Dr Susi Lund are colleagues in the School of Health Sciences at UoS. They led the development of the resource. Dr Campling said:

“We know that death and grief can be difficult to talk about. Our aim is to break the fear that often prevents meaningful conversations among grieving families and their social networks across the UK.

“Coming together in this way can help families and friends move towards making sense of what has happened.”

She added: “Although this resource was developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have sought to ensure its enduring relevance outside of this context. This means anyone who is experiencing bereavement can access it as and when they need it.

“We have also heard from bereavement professionals who are signposting people to it for extra support.”

The team received funding from University Hospital Southampton’s R&D Small Grants Scheme to evaluate the resource. Initial development work was supported by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) Wessex.