Social Work Students’ Experiences of Loss and Grief During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Study

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with significant impacts to daily life and diverse experiences of loss among college and university students. The aim of the current study is to describe social work students’ experiences of loss and grief following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and explore the ways these experiences may have differed by program degree, modality, and background characteristics. Method: A cross-sectional survey (N=354) administered with social work students across degree programs during April–May 2020 provided both quantitative and qualitative open-ended responses. We used a convergent mixed-methods design to merge inductively analyzed qualitative data and quantitative demographic and background data. Results: Key findings highlight students’ varied and compounded experiences of loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, with differences in loss experienced by program modality (traditional, hybrid, or online) and age. Conclusion: Findings suggest the need for social work education programmatic responses for students’ overlapping experiences of loss and grief from the COVID-19 pandemic and future academic disruptions, with particular attention to students of younger age and differing program modality.