In good times and in bad: A longitudinal analysis of the impact of bereavement on self-esteem and life satisfaction in couples

Abstract

This study examines the impact of bereavement on self-esteem and life satisfaction in both partners of a romantic couple. We investigate the moderating effects of the type of the lost relationship (close family, close friends/others) and romantic relationship characteristics (daily social support, responsiveness-closeness, self-disclosure). We examined 1238 individuals in 619 male–female couples from the ages 18 to 81 ( M [ SD] = 31.97 years [13.26]). Both partners completed questionnaires at two assessments that were 20 months ( SD = 2.02 months) apart, in between which n = 216 individuals were bereaved. Actor–partner interdependence models showed that bereavement did not predict later self-esteem or life satisfaction in either of the partners. The relationship characteristics and the type of lost relationship did not moderate the effects. The subjective meaning and distress of the loss predicted later self-esteem and life satisfaction. The self-esteem increase was larger for bereaved with a positive/neutral than for bereaved with a negative meaning of the bereavement. We found a partner effect on self-esteem for the group of bereaved who reported a negative meaning of the bereavement. The findings demonstrate that bereavement can impact romantic partners' self-esteem and that the subjective experience of bereavement helps understand individual differences in the effect of bereavement on self-esteem and life satisfaction.

Unraveling the complex relationship between work transitions and self-esteem and life satisfaction.

“…The distinction between both constructs holds both conceptually (self-esteem is a person’s evaluation of their personal value, life satisfaction is a person’s overall evaluation of their life) as well as empirically (unique patterns of relations with the other measured variables). The present study provided empirical evidence for another, less studied criterion for exploring their similarity, that is, their shared environmental antecedents (for criteria to determine sibling constructs, see Lawson & Robins, 2021; for a study that examined changes in both characteristics in response to another life event, see Reitz et al, 2022).…”

“…Nevertheless, the literature often categorizes a certain life transition as either a positive or a negative experience, thus ignoring the quality or subjective valence of the experience. This valence, however, may shape an individual’s response to the event (e.g., Luhmann et al, 2021; for a recent study that demonstrated that for bereavement, see Reitz et al, 2022). Hence, we examined peoples’ job satisfaction and the duration of unemployment as moderators of changes in self-esteem and life satisfaction.…”

The Effectiveness of the Moving to Emptiness Technique on Clients Who Need Help During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Real-World Study

“…However, due to the general stability of the object-subject relationship in adulthood ( 20 ), adults' memories of painful bereavement experiences are difficult to erase in a short period. They can even remain with them throughout their lives, influencing their daily emotional ( 21 , 22 ) and life functions ( 23 , 24 ).…”

Self-Esteem Development and Life Events: A Review and Integrative Process Framework

“…Given their importance for self-esteem development, the role of social relationships should be studied more (Reitz et al, 2014). For example, romantic partners' shared environment was shown to influence self-esteem and self-esteem decreased in response to a negative bereavement experience by a partner (Reitz et al, 2022c).…”

“…The degree of similarity in environmental antecedents provides insights into whether constructs are influenced by the same, broadly acting mechanism or by unique, narrowly acting mechanisms (Soto & John, 2012). A few studies have identified unique and shared trajectories and antecedents of self-esteem and narcissism (Lawson & Robins, 2021) and life satisfaction (Reitz et al, 2022b;Reitz et al, 2022c). The latter studies suggest that reflective processes might uniquely underlie self-esteem change during negative life events.…”