Tognela, Josephine A., Rudaizky, Daniel, Robinson, Kylie T., Mason, Hannah M., and Breen, Lauren J. (2026) Informal social support following bereavement: A scoping review of provider and recipient perspectives of helpful and unhelpful interactions. Death Studies, 50 (5). pp. 768-781.

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Abstract

Informal social support can both aid coping and be a source of distress following bereavement, prompting calls for investigating the features inherent in interactions between informal social supporter providers and the bereaved. Studies were identified by searching Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ProQuest, and ProQuest (dissertations and theses) to 18th January 2024. A total of 23 papers underwent quality appraisal and data extraction. Intended supportive interactions were significantly associated with perceived supportive interactions in 93% of the 14 quantitative studies. A narrative synthesis identified key components of helpful (e.g., aligning with the needs of the recipient) and unhelpful informal social support (e.g., provider discomfort). These results are incorporated into a proposed Interaction Model of Informal Social Support following Bereavement (IM-ISSB) to integrate the identified factors associated with helpful and unhelpful informal social support. This model presents a novel approach to understanding support interactions following bereavement.

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