Care, dying, death, and loss in children's drawings from the Covid-19 pandemic in Sweden.
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| Title: | Care, dying, death, and loss in children's drawings from the Covid-19 pandemic in Sweden. |
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| Authors: | Tishelman, Carol (AUTHOR), Weiss Goitiandía, Sofía (AUTHOR), Degen, Johanna L. (AUTHOR), Kleeberg-Niepage, Andrea (AUTHOR), Rullander, Anna-Clara (AUTHOR), Kleijberg, Max (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Death Studies. 2026, Vol. 50 Issue 7, p1193-1218. 26p. |
| Subjects: | Families & psychology, Chronic diseases & psychology, Attitudes toward death, Health literacy, Death, Attitudes toward illness, Research funding, Drawing, Content analysis, Anxiety, Uncertainty, Caregivers, Bereavement, Research, Child development, Theory of knowledge, Trust, Terminal care, Child psychology, Phenomenology, Grief, Health education, Social support, COVID-19 pandemic, Loss (Psychology), Social isolation |
| Geographic Terms: | Sweden |
| Abstract: | Most studies gather data on children's Covid-19 experiences from proxy adults rather than from children. We explore depictions of end-of-life issues in drawings created by children in Sweden about their experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic, generated in response to an open invitation to schools, teachers, culture centers, etc. from a public archive of children's art. A transdisciplinary team inductively analyzed 172 drawings containing images of care, dying, death and loss, finding qualitatively different portrayals differentiated by focus on (re)actors versus victims in the pandemic. The virus was often drawn as an aggressive, active agent, while humans, including professionals, appeared reactive and at a loss. The largest group of victims were without identity, although some children depicted themselves as victims. These children illustrate Covid-19-related questions, concerns, and fears about the end of life, reflecting "epistemological uncertainty" resulting from the pandemic. This uncertainty should be addressed, for example by trustworthy support in making sense of surrounding world, and by pro-active death educational approaches for both children and the adults who are in contact with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Most studies gather data on children's Covid-19 experiences from proxy adults rather than from children. We explore depictions of end-of-life issues in drawings created by children in Sweden about their experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic, generated in response to an open invitation to schools, teachers, culture centers, etc. from a public archive of children's art. A transdisciplinary team inductively analyzed 172 drawings containing images of care, dying, death and loss, finding qualitatively different portrayals differentiated by focus on (re)actors versus victims in the pandemic. The virus was often drawn as an aggressive, active agent, while humans, including professionals, appeared reactive and at a loss. The largest group of victims were without identity, although some children depicted themselves as victims. These children illustrate Covid-19-related questions, concerns, and fears about the end of life, reflecting "epistemological uncertainty" resulting from the pandemic. This uncertainty should be addressed, for example by trustworthy support in making sense of surrounding world, and by pro-active death educational approaches for both children and the adults who are in contact with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 07481187 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/07481187.2025.2487787 |
