A Swansea University study is seeking participants to explore public experiences on bereavement during the COVID-19 pandemic and on their views of how the pandemic was handled and what support they felt did, or did not, receive.
The research is being led by Dr Simon Williams, Lecturer in Psychology at Swansea University’s School of Psychology.
Dr Williams is looking for adults who identify as being bereaved as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic to take part in the study. Participants can submit their views either by taking part in a brief online survey, an online focus group or interview via Zoom, or by submitting their own documents such as a diary or blog entry by email. Participation in the project is entirely voluntary.
All of the data collected for the study will be stored and used confidentially, and responses will remain anonymous in any reports, publications or on data repositories.
To be eligible to take part in this study, participants must be aged 18 or over, living in the UK, and should identify as being bereaved by Covid-19 pandemic (e.g., having lost a family member, friend or close relative to Covid-19).
Dr Williams said: “The Coronavoices project is looking to speak the people’s truth to power. As society seeks to understand and as official Covid-19 inquiries are ongoing, independent academic research that seeks to explore public accounts of the pandemic and people’s experiences of loss and reflections of how they were supported and not supported are essential.
“Two years into the pandemic, Covid-19 has accounted for more than 200,000 deaths in the UK. Qualitative research can help to explore accounts related to the difficulties, challenges and suffering that a global pandemic can cause, and provide the ‘lived experiences’ behind death, from the perspective of close friends and family. This research will document, explore and analyse people’s own accounts of loss, bereavement and grief during the Covid-19 pandemic. It will also explore their reflections of how the pandemic was handled, the support they received or did not receive and what might have been done differently.”
This research has been approved by the Department of Psychology’s Research Ethics Committee, Swansea University.
If you require further information about the study, please email Dr Simon Williams.