About us About our work About Child Bereavement UK Participate in research Below are some research studies which we believe aim to both improve the support that bereaved families are offered and adhere to ethical standards. Please note that the inclusion of third party research below does not amount to an endorsement. A qualitative study on adult’s grief experiences and ways of coping after childhood parental loss Blaise Cottingham, a PhD Researcher at the University of Greenwich (UoG), is carrying out a study on adults grief experiences and ways of coping after childhood parental loss. Blaise would like to hear from adults aged 18+ who have experienced the death of a parent or primary caregiver between the ages of 0 and 19 years. Participation will involve: Completing an online questionnaire (2-3 mins to complete). Online interview with camera on or off, your choice (60 to 90 minutes long). If you require any further information or have any questions about the study, you can contact Blaise directly [email protected] Read the participant information sheet Supporting Pakistani and Bangladeshi mothers in pregnancies after loss Zoyah Sheikh, a PhD Psychology student at the University of Manchester, is carrying out a study to explore the maternity care experiences and psychological support needs amongst Pakistani and Bangladeshi mothers in pregnancies after miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death. She would like to understand more about their experiences of maternity care and what support they may need in their current pregnancy. Zoyah would like to speak to mothers who meet the following criteria: Are of Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnicity. Have experienced at least one pregnancy after their perinatal loss/es (baby loss in pregnancy or up to 28 days postnatal). Live in England. Received NHS maternity care during a pregnancy where loss occurred. Are able to provide informed consent. Are fluent in English. Were over 18 years of age when loss was experienced. While women do not have to be currently pregnant to take part, if they are pregnant, they must be at least 12-weeks pregnant. Find out more Research study on childhood bereavement during COVID-19 in Scotland- University of Strathclyde Bright Antony, a doctoral student from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow is conducting a university-funded study exploring how children and families in Scotland experienced the death of a parent during the COVID-19 lockdowns (March 2020 – August 2021). The aim is to improve understanding of bereavement experiences and help develop better support pathways for children and families across Scotland. Bright is seeking to recruit 12 more participants (a young person aged 13–18 bereaved of a parent or carer during this period). Find out more and take part Care of the critically ill child - NCEPOD NCEPOD is a national organisation that uses data to help improve the quality of care for future patients in the UK. They do this by collecting data on patients from hospitals and other places where they may be cared for. For this work they are collecting data on children and young adults aged 0-18 years old. If you are aged 0 to 18 and have been seen by critical care services, or are a parent or carer of someone who has, you can get involved by: Taking part in a group discussion. Completing an an online survey. To find out more email: [email protected] View the Easy Read Guide The impact of pregnancy loss on couples’ emotional and physical intimacy: a qualitative study in Scotland This study conducted by Caroline Francis, a researcher at the University of Edinburgh as part of a master's in public health dissertation, looks at the experiences of couples who have experienced pregnancy loss. Its aim is to gain a better understanding of how pregnancy loss might affect the emotional and physical intimacy aspects of relationships. It will involve a joint couple interview (in-person) of approximately one hour, where you and your partner will talk about your experiences of pregnancy loss. To take part, both members of the couple must: Be over 18 years old. Live in Edinburgh/ willing to travel to Edinburgh for interview. Not currently be undergoing IVF fertility treatment. Have experienced a pregnancy loss a minimum of 6 months ago. If you are interested in finding out more, please email Caroline at [email protected], and you will be sent further information about the research. Find out more Prevalence and impact of bereavement on health behaviours and academic outcomes in university students A team of research psychologists and master’s students from Queen’s University Belfast are conducting a study to explore the effects of bereavement among university students. As part of a MSc dissertation project, this study aims to understand how bereavement, particularly social disconnection, coping mechanisms, and emotional distress, relates to health behaviours such as tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and physical inactivity, as well as how bereavement impacts academic performance and mental health. The team is looking for university students who have, and who have not, experienced bereavement to participate in this study. Participation involves completing a brief anonymous survey Find out more NCMD report on life-limiting conditions and palliative and end of life care needs The National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) is working on a report about children who have died in England. The report will focus on children who were very unwell, had cancer or had conditions that meant they were expected to die earlier than usual - these are sometimes called life-limiting conditions. Part of the report will use data and information and part of it will be a collection of stories, from families whose child has died. The NCMD want to share as many different stories as possible. This way, more families can see that they are not as alone as they might feel. They also hope that your stories will help make changes, where possible. They would be pleased to hear from parents, carers, foster parents, adoptive parents, siblings, grandparents and more. The NCMD is particularly interested in stories relating to a child who was very unwell, had cancer or other conditions that meant they were expected to die earlier than usual (also known as life limiting conditions). It doesn't matter if your child died a long time ago or in another country, we still want to hear from you. If your baby was diagnosed with a life limiting condition while you were pregnant, was born alive and then died, we would also like to hear from you. You can contact the NCMD team by email at [email protected]. It's ok to ask questions and then decide you don’t want to share your story after all. You can also watch a film about the report and how you can share your story, featuring Emily, bereaved mother of Neve who died aged 10 from brain cancer. Parents' perception of support for bereaved siblings in neonatal care: a qualitative interview study (UCL) Ruby Hayns-Worthington, a neonatal nurse currently doing a masters dissertation at UCL, is running a qualitative study looking into parent perception of how they and their children were supported by neonatal professionals when their baby sadly died. Ruby is hoping to interview parents to get an in-depth view of this and to try to improve the services neonatal units offer bereaved siblings. Read the participant information sheet Royal Holloway University: Understanding grief and social relationships in children and young people Kate Partridge, a Trainee Clinical Psychologist at Royal Holloway University working in collaboration with the University of Oxford, is conducting a research study aimed at trying to better understand grief and social relationships in children and young people. Kate is looking for children and young people aged 8-18 living in the UK to participate, with their parent/carer; children/young people who have been bereaved of someone close to them them such as a close friend or family member (rather than an acquaintance or distance family member and for whom the bereavement happened more than six months ago, but no longer than three years ago. Find out more University of Manchester: MATREP Study The MATREP study team would like to speak to families who had had a review or investigation into their care after their baby has died or if their baby was harmed in maternity since January 2019. The research will examine if the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB)/ Maternity and Newborn Safety investigation (MNSI) investigations and the national Perinatal Mortality Review Tool (PMRT) reviews have met their objectives, resulting in maternity safety improvements and in improved outcomes for parents and families. The research will provide information for national policy makers on the progress of these programmes and identify what is required for HSIB/MNSI investigations and PMRT reviews to meet their objectives. Find out more Did you lose your mother in childbirth? The Department of Counselling Psychology at City, University of London is looking for adult volunteers to take part in a study on the experience of having lost your mother during childbirth. You would be asked to take part in a one off 1-2-1 interview that would ask about how you have made sense of losing your mother during childbirth. Find out more Parent involvement group to help improve stillbirth care through research A research team in Bristol is looking for parents of stillborn babies (who died at least 6 months ago) to help identify the most important aspects of care that should be measured in studies. This will involve discussing what future research should look at and developing key messages for bereaved parents. Find out more Children’s Bereavement Care and Adaptive Meaning Making in Bereaved Parents The focus of this research is the immediate bereavement care parents experienced at the time their child died. The research endeavours to increase understanding of the unique role of bereavement care in facilitating meaning-making for bereaved parents. It is part of a Professional Doctorate in Counselling and Psychotherapy Studies / Psychological Trauma that Lesley Dougan, a BACP Accredited Counsellor, is undertaking at the University of Chester. Participants: a parent of a child who died before their 18th birthday and where the bereavement occurred over 12 months ago; additionally, those who accessed bereavement care when their child died. Find out more Research Request Help us improve bereavement support by submitting your bereavement research study. Research participation criteria To ensure we support high-quality research that benefits children, young people, and parents affected by grief and loss, we have established the following criteria: The lead researcher must be affiliated with a recognized research institution (e.g., University, NHS Trust). Ethical approval for the study must be obtained and verifiable. For studies conducted as part of a qualification, the lead student(s) must be at Masters level or above. Requirements for researchers Researchers seeking our support should submit: A completed participant recruitment request form Proof of ethical approval A copy of the participant information sheet(s) This information helps us understand your research and determine how best to share it with our network. Review process Our Research Committee meets regularly and research request submissions are reviewed at the meeting. The final decision to share the opportunity rests with our charity. For more information, please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below. Complete research request Research request FAQs Will you advertise my study on your website? If approved, we will feature your study on our dedicated research page. Can you share my study on your social media? We only share studies we fund or are strategically partnered with on social media. Will you include my study in your newsletters? We provide a general reminder about research participation opportunities in our newsletters but don’t feature specific studies. Is there a cost involved? There’s no cost, but we ask that you acknowledge Child Bereavement UK in your paper, article, or thesis if we support your recruitment. We also ask that a copy/summary of the study be shared with us once your study is complete. Manage Cookie Preferences