Vox
March 17, 2021
'You can't get away from the idea that you're just lucky to be alive'
Experts say pandemic survivor guilt may be pervasive, but it is hard to detect, leaving many struggling in silence. About 10-20% of people who live through a traumatic event like a serious accident or illness have persisting mental health issues, which can include survivor guilt, said Mary-Frances O’Connor, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Arizona who studies loss and bereavement. She expects those rates to be similar for the pandemic, although "it's still early days," she said. "We don't have a lot of data yet."