Cited by 100Grief, Bereavement, and Mental HealthCOVID-19 epidemiological studiesCOVID-19 and Mental Health

Estimates and projections of COVID-19 and parental death in the US

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Kidman, Rachel, Margolis, Rachel, Smith-Greenaway, Emily, Verdery, Ashton M.·2021·JAMA Pediatrics

Abstract

Estimates and Projections of COVID-19 and Parental Death in the USThe scale of COVID-19 mortality in the United States, including among prime-age adults, merits efforts to continuously track how many children are affected by parental death.Children who lose a parent are at elevated risk of traumatic grief, depression, poor educational outcomes, and unintentional death or suicide, and these consequences can persist into adulthood.1 Sudden parental death, such as that occurring owing to COVID-19, can be particularly traumatizing for children and leave families ill prepared to navigate its consequences.Moreover, COVID-19 losses are occurring at a time of social isolation, institutional strain, and economic hardship, potentially leaving bereaved children without the supports they need.

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Crossref · 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.0161

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  • High COVID-19 mortality rates may have severe unrecognized consequences: large-scale death of parents and caregivers for children.

    “High coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality rates may have severe unrecognized consequences: large-scale death of parents and caregivers for children.1,2”

    From COVID-19–Associated Orphanhood and Caregiver Death in the United States (2021) · cites this paper as [1]

    The Results (Methods section) estimate that 37,300 children had lost a parent to COVID-19 by February 2021, supporting the claim of large-scale parental death. The Discussion states that the estimates do not include bereavement of nonparental primary caregivers, so the source does not establish the caregiver part of the claim. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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  • To date, little attention has focused on children who suffer COVID-19-associated death of parents and coresiding grandparents serving as caregivers and the attendant loss of salient nurturing, financial support, and care.

    “To date, little attention has focused on children who suffer COVID-19–associated death of parents and coresiding grandparents serving as caregivers and the attendant loss of salient nurturing, financial support, and care.1,2,5”

    From COVID-19–Associated Orphanhood and Caregiver Death in the United States (2021) · cites this paper as [1]

    The Results estimate how many children lost a parent to COVID-19, and the Discussion calls for support addressing bereaved children’s health, educational, and economic needs (page not available in our copy). But the paper explicitly says its estimates exclude nonparental primary caregivers; it does not specifically address coresiding grandparents or establish that these children have received little attention. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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Authors
Kidman, R., Margolis, R., Smith-Greenaway, E., & Verdery, A. M.
Affiliations
  • Stony Brook University (US)
  • Western University (CA)
  • Department of Sociology and Spatial Sciences Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
  • Pennsylvania State University (US)
Corresponding author
Kidman, Rachel
Venue
JAMA Pediatrics
Published
2021-04-05
Volume
175
Issue
7
Pages
745-746
ISSN
  • 1072-4710 (ISSN-L)
  • 2168-6203
OpenAlex
W3141575367
Cited by
99
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 38 · 2021: 26
FWCI
16.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Pfizer
  • Celgene
  • National Institute on Aging (R01AG060949)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (P01HL128192, K08HL133381, HL128192)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P2CHD041025)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
  • Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Modeling and Simulation › COVID-19 epidemiological studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
Keywords
COVID-19 mortality, parental death, sudden bereavement, children of bereaved parents, traumatic grief, mortality projections, grief in children, social isolation, economic hardship
MeSH terms
COVID-19, Bereavement, Child, Child Welfare, Death, Sudden, Humans, Mortality, Parent-Child Relations, Parental Death

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