Over 140,000 children in the U.S. have lost a parent or caregiver due to COVID-19.
A peer-reviewed study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, described this as “a hidden and ongoing secondary tragedy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.” The study found that roughly 1 out of 500 children in the United States “has experienced COVID-19-associated orphan hood.”
The study defines orphan hood as the death of one or both parents. The study also tracked the loss of care giving grandparents. Researchers found racial and ethnic disparities in the deaths of caregivers from COVID-19. The study broke down the disparities of those orphaned as follows, 1 of every 168 American Indian/Alaska Native children, 1 of every 310 Black children, 1 of every 412 Hispanic children, 1 of every 612 Asian children, and 1 of every 753 White children experienced orphan hood or death of a parent or caregiver.
California, Texas, and New York — states with large populations — had the highest number of children being orphaned by COVID-19.
A similar study published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in July 2021 found that more than 1.5 million children worldwide lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19 during the first 14 months of the pandemic.
Losing a parent or caregiver in childhood is a significant trauma. The study notes that this type of adverse childhood experience “may result in profound long-term impact on health and well-being for children.”
“The numbers don’t tell the full stories,” he says. “The full story is really in the lives and the affected future of these children and adolescents and their families.”