Social Health and Mortality Risk Following Bereavement: A Systematic Scoping Review.

Bereavement is a significant social stressor associated with heightened mortality risk. To date, the role of social health in this relationship remains unclear. This systematic scoping review synthesizes the literature examining the association between social health and mortality risk among bereaved individuals. A comprehensive literature search was performed in the following databases from inception-July 2024: Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, CINAHL, AgeLine, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus. The study was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) methodological framework. A total of 23 studies with significant heterogeneity in measurement methods and contexts met the criteria for inclusion in this review. Overall, the literature suggests the social health of bereaved individuals is associated with both increased and decreased mortality risk; often dependent on social contexts and/or based on certain factors (e.g., sex, time since death). Higher and consistent levels of perceived social support were associated with reduced mortality risk. Declining support trajectories and perceived isolation were linked to increased risk. Remarriage and diverse network connections (e.g., family and nonfamily support) were protective, but this association varied by gender and cause of death. Limited sampling of non-Western populations, inconsistent use of validated tools, and a focus on spousal bereavement represent limitations of research conducted to date. Results suggest that bereavement-related mortality risk associated with social structural factors (e.g., remarriage) may be promising avenues of future research. Future research should explore mechanisms of these associations and expand to diverse populations and bereavement types to advance understanding of the role of social health in bereavement-related mortality risk.