Fear of COVID-19 and prolonged grief disorder: the association between fear of COVID-19 and PGD symptom levels measured before and during the pandemi

Abstract

Introduction: After the loss of a loved one, a significant minority of bereaved people are at risk of developing prolonged grief disorder (PGD) symptoms. Living with elevated grief symptoms might be especially challenging during a global pandemic because COVID-19 causes fear and anxiety. The aim of this study was twofold, first the new fear of COVID scale (FCV-19S) was validated in order to adequately assess fear of COVID-19. Second, the association between fear of COVID-19 and change scores of PGD symptom levels, measured before and during the pandemic, was investigated.