3.1.5 Cause of Death
Confirmed COVID-19 infection and suspected COVID-19 infections were reported by the respondents to the survey to be the primary cause of death in 14.1% and 1.4% of cases respectively. Cancer was reported as the main cause of death (N=331, 29.1%). Other causes of death reported by participants included cardiac conditions, dementia, and respiratory diseases (see Table 3 in Appendices). 3.2 Health and Wellbeing of Participants All survey participants were invited to rate their overall health and wellbeing status. Findings showed that of the 1,635 that responded to these questions most participants (N=1259, 76.9%) rated their general health as good and 66.3% (N=1078) rated their mental health as good. Almost half of participants (N=736, 45%) reported moderate financial wellbeing.
3.2.1 Bereaved vs Non-Bereaved Participants
Means and standard deviations were calculated for general health status, mental health status, and financial well-being of bereaved participants compared with non-bereaved participants (see Table 4 in Appendices). Participants who had not experienced bereavement during COVID-19 were found to have a slightly higher mean general health status, mental health status, and financial well-being score than those who were bereaved during the pandemic.
3.2.2 Healthcare Workers vs Other Survey Participants
Means and standard deviations were calculated for general health status, mental health status, and financial well-being of healthcare workers compared with other survey participants (see Table 5 in Appendices). Healthcare workers were found to have a higher mean general health status, mental health status, and financial well-being score than other survey participants. 3.3 Perceptions of Dying, Death, and Bereavement In this section all participants (N=2259), regardless of their bereavement status, were asked about their views on dying, death, and bereavement since the pandemic began (see Table 6 in Appendices). Results showed that most participants (N=930, 41.2%) reported that the pandemic changed their views about dying, death, and bereavement quite a lot or a lot, and a further 26.8% (N=603) reported that the pandemic changed their views on the topic a bit. Most participants also indicated that they have spoken about dying and death ‘more than usual’ or ‘a lot more than usual’ since the beginning of the pandemic (N=1250, 55.7%). Similarly, participants reported a greater awareness of grief and loss due to COVID-19 (N=1512, 67.3%). Yet, less than half of participants (N=1049, 46.8%) reported that they had given more thought to their own end-of-life wishes.
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