Satisfaction With Funerals and Mental Health of Latinx in Arizona During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Latinx in the United States reported increased mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, a global event that complicated how people processed bereavement and grief by limiting participation in funerals. Funerals are important rituals for Latinx because they provide the grieving with an opportunity to say farewell to a loved one. Currently, there is a lack of research on the associations between funeral attendance and satisfaction, and grief, mental health, and well-being among Latinx in the United States during the pandemic. To address this gap, we conducted a study using a cross-sectional quantitative survey with a sample of Latinx adults (n = 263, 80% women, 85% Mexican origin, 74% Latinx of Color) recruited in two university locations and across community events in Arizona. We found that higher levels of funeral satisfaction, but not funeral attendance, were associated with higher levels of well-being, lower levels of grief and anxiety symptoms, and less drinking frequency, even after accounting for race, age, sex, immigrant generation, and education. These findings have important implications for policy, research, and interventions centering bereaved Latinx in Arizona.