The Economic Cost of Bereavement in Scotland

Abstract

Aspects of the socio-economic costs of bereavement in Scotland were estimated using three 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. Additionally, bereaved people were significantly less likely to be employed in the year of and two 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.