The Economic Cost of Bereavement in Scotland

Abstract

Aspects of the socioeconomic costs of bereavement in Scotland were estimated using 3 sets of data. Spousal bereavement was associated with increased mortality and longer hospital stays, with additional annual cost of around 20 million. Cost of bereavement coded consultations in primary care was estimated at around 2.0 million annually. In addition, bereaved people were significantly less likely to be employed in the year of and 2 years after bereavement than non-bereaved matched controls, but there were no significant differences in income between bereaved people and matched controls before and after bereavement.