A scoping review of bereavement interventions: Occupational therapy’s potential role

Background: Bereavement is an inevitable lifespan experience. Bereavement and grief have health and functional impacts, yet occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) do not currently have an identifiable role in bereavement support. Objectives: To explore current bereavement grief interventions that reasonably fall within the scope of occupational therapy (OT). Methodology: Five databases were searched. Eligibility criteria included peer-reviewed journal quantitative research articles published between 2014 and 2024 and included an intervention targeting bereavement using deductive codes defined by authors based on Ann Wilcock’s Occupational Perspective of Health: Doing (DG), Being (BG), Becoming (BC), and Belonging (BL) and analyzed. Results: Thirty-four articles met eligibility criteria and fell within the OT scope. Seven articles incorporated the construct of DG and only 5.8% of articles ( n = 2) incorporated all four approaches. Interventions including more than one approach were more effective. Conclusion: Despite the functional impact of bereavement, few interventions include DG or assess functional outcomes. OTPs could address bereavement grief through DG and assess functional impacts.