Parental Loss During COVID-19: A Qualitative Study of Retrospective Childhood Bereavement Experiences Among Filipino Adults in Metro Manila

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic dismantled the ritual infrastructure of mourning across the Philippines, forcing bereaved families to confront loss without the communal practices that Filipino culture has long depended on for psychological and spiritual healing. This study examines the retrospective experiences of twelve Filipino adults in Metro Manila who suffered parental loss to COVID-19 during their childhood years and were prevented from participating in traditional funeral rites owing to mandatory cremation protocols issued by the Department of Health. Participants ranged in current age from 22 to 29 and had been between 9 and 16 years old at the time of bereavement. Using Consensual Qualitative Research methodology, semi-structured virtual interviews were analyzed to produce five experiential domains: disrupted grief progression following ritual deprivation, loss of culturally embedded mourning practices, psychological and social consequences of ritual absence, distortion of grief timelines, and adaptive coping rooted in cultural resilience. Findings reveal that the forced elimination of lamay, pasiyam, and pakikiramay did not merely inconvenience participants but fundamentally altered the character of their grief, contributing to prolonged ambiguity, heightened guilt, and lasting spiritual unease. Participants nonetheless demonstrated meaningful creative adaptation, generating personal and family-based ritual alternatives that preserved cultural continuity under restrictive conditions. This study contributes empirically grounded knowledge about pandemic bereavement in a collectivist Filipino setting and offers practical guidance for culturally responsive grief support, educational institutions, and community mental health services.