An Empirical Search for Stages of Widowhood

Abstract

Developmental theory and clinical experience suggest that stages of adjustment to widowhood beyond the initial stages of grief may exist. Structured interviews with 193 widowed community residents over sixty-two were conducted as part of a needs assessment survey of the elderly in Wichita. One hundred fifty-one variables including eight psycho-social needs, the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale scale, age perception, future orientation, presence of or desire for a confidant, contact with children, and participation in work, volunteer, religious and organizational roles were assessed, as well as transportation, nutrition, health care, household and educational needs. The median was used to differentiate short-term from long-term widowhood. The two groups differed significantly on fewer than 5 per cent of the variables. This was true of both widows and widowers. Six categories of widowhood were then defined ranging from less than three years to over twenty years. Only about 6 per cent of the variables were related to the six “stages.” The results provide further evidence that the stresses of widowhood persist for years after the spouse's death; they do not confirm the existence of separate stages of adaptation.

Effects of loss from suicide, accidents, acute illness and chronic illness on bereaved spouses and parents in Japan: Their general health, depressive mood, and grief reaction

“…Regarding descriptive statistics, the mean GHQ and SRQ‐D scores showed that many of the bereaved remained in poor health, especially in terms of mental health, despite the fact that most of them had been bereaved for >5 years. This result is consistent with the evidence that the impact of bereavement persists for several years 3,25,29,35–37 . The mean scores on these scales exceeded the clinical thresholds, except for those bereaved due to chronic illness.…”

Changes in Routine Health Behaviors Following Late-life Bereavement: A Systematic Review

“…The study of Johnson (2002) similarly found bereaved elders to be at moderate nutritional risk compared to married controls, and Schone & Weinick (1998) found an effect of bereavement status on skipping breakfast, but among women only. Compared to longer-term widow(er)s, Barrett & Schneweis (1980) found that recently bereaved elders needed help finding information on food preparation and did not believe they ate nutritious meals. Qualitative analyses identified significant themes surrounding 1) skills related to shopping and preparing food, 2) the social significant of eating, and 3) general nutritional quality (Wylie et al, 1999; Johnson, 2002).…”

'Is Anybody Listening?' The Experiences of Widowhood for Older Australian Women Susan Feldman, MA

“…Canadian and American writers are concerned that widowed women are stereotyped as little more than women who have lost their spouses (Gee & Kimball, 1987;Silverman, 1986), and that widowhood has been constructed within the context of crisis and personal affliction (Barrett & Schneweis, 1980;Wenz, 1977), as a gateway to profound bereavement and long-term mental health problems (Kirshling & Barron McBride, 1989;Lund, 1989;Prigerson, Frank & Kasl, 1995;Stein & Susser, 1969). Other studies associate widowhood with premature mortality (Bowling, 1988;Mendes de Leon, Kasl & Jacobs, 1994) and suicide (Guohua, 1995).…”