Psychosocial stressors and coping mechanisms of morticians during the COVID- 19 pandemic: A qualitative study

Abstract

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020. Measures were put in place to contain the spread of the virus. These measures included social distancing, wearing of masks, curfew, and prohibition of gatherings. Since then, the COVID-19 death toll in South Africa continued to rise exponentially, thus puttingmore pressure on funeral parlours and their morticians. The drastic increase in deaths thus overwhelmed the funeral parlours, precipitating stress for morticians. Due to the psychosocialstressorsthat morticians are exposed to,they resortto copingmechanismsto handle their daily lives. Few studies have examined the psychosocial stressors and coping mechanisms of morticians during the COVID-19 pandemic within the South African context. Aim The present study aimed to explore the psychosocial stressors morticians experienced as well as their methods of coping during the COVID-19 pandemic in the North West province. Methodology The study employed a qualitative approach. An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA)design was utilised. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data, sampling a total of 10 morticians using purposive sampling techniques. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and translated. The data were then analysed using thematic analysis. Results The findings of the study revealed that morticians struggled with psychosocial stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The psychosocial stressors were death overload, insomnia, stigmatisation, social isolation, and anxiety. The work stressors that exacerbated the psychosocialstressors include trauma from work, fear of exposure and contracting the virus, andCOVID-19 regulations. The findingsfurtherindicate that althoughmorticians experienced a variety of stressors, they utilised coping mechanisms. These coping mechanisms include acceptance,avoidance, resilience, external support, and religion. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic caused a variety of stressors for morticians and literature regarding an understanding of their specific challenges in the South African context is limited. This study offers valuable insight into morticians' psychosocial stressors and their coping mechanisms during the COVID-19 pandemic. The experiences of these participants underscore the critical importance of promoting social inclusion and facilitating opportunities for morticians to express themselves and bring awareness to the general public. It is thus recommended that mortuary governing boards need to develop awareness programmes and counselling services for morticians. Therefore, this study sheds light on the importance of mental health services for morticians during difficult times such as the pandemic