Bereavement is a common and often challenging experience in late life. Evidence shows that while many older adults manage to adjust well and demonstrate resilience in response to the death of a close person, bereavement puts a substantial minority at risk of adverse mental and physical health impacts including mortality. Current research further indicates that 1) this is the case across different countries and cultures across the globe; 2) that the COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges for coping with late-life bereavement; 3) that loneliness and social isolation among bereaved older adults tend to be prevalent and harmful, particularly under pandemic but also in nonpandemic circumstances; and, recently, 4) that bereavement may be a risk factor for cognitive decline in this population.

丧亲之痛是晚年常见且常常具有挑战性的经历。有证据表明，虽然许多老年人能够很好地适应并表现出应对亲人死亡的适应能力，但丧亲之痛使相当一部分老年人面临包括死亡在内的不利心理和身体健康影响的风险。目前的研究进一步表明：1）全球不同国家和文化的情况都是如此；2) COVID-19 大流行给应对晚年丧亲之痛带来了前所未有的挑战；3) 失去亲人的老年人普遍感到孤独和社会孤立，而且这种现象是有害的，特别是在大流行期间，但在非大流行情况下也如此；最近，4) 丧亲之痛可能是该人群认知能力下降的一个危险因素。