Finnish Parents’ Preferences for Online Grief Support Content After a Child’s Death

Online grief support has become a valuable resource for parents coping with the death of a child as it offers accessible and ongoing support during what is often a deeply challenging time. However, the specific content needs within these platforms remain underexplored. This study's purpose was to identify the types of content parents find most helpful in online grief support following the loss of a child. A total of 141 parents in Finland completed an online survey consisting of 62 Likert-scale questions related to their content preferences for grief interventions. The findings revealed that these parents sought information about grief and typical grief reactions, coping strategies, available support services, practical arrangements, self-assessment tools, and personalized content tailored to individual needs. They also expressed the importance of support that actively support coping and healing. Social work practictioners could use these findings in the design of multidisciplinary grief interventions that address the complex psychological, social, and spiritual needs of bereaved individuals and families.