“The deceased has left; the alive has to move on”: Experiences of Chinese Widows in the UK

Bennett, Kate Mary; Chao, Qiuling; Roper, Louise; Lowers, Victoria

doi:10.1080/07481187.2017.1387617

Cited by 6 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…As widowhood is a common event in the lives of older adults, the rapid growth of older population indicates that the number of widowed older adults will inevitably increase dramatically. Widowed older adults are likely to face major life changes, such as social isolation [ 5 ], loss of financial security [ 6 ], changes in leisure activities [ 7 ], and many stressful life events [ 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benefits and barriers: a qualitative study on online social participation among widowed older adults in Southwest China

Hong

Kong

et al. 2021

BMC Geriatr

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Background With the development of digital media, online activities are increasingly becoming part of the daily life of older adults. Widowed older adults generally would face changes in social interactions and activities due to widowhood; thus, the importance of online participation may be more prominent in this population. However, a detailed evidence on the experiences of online social participation among widowed older adults is relatively sparse. This study aimed to explore widowed older adults’ perceptions regarding online social participation in southwestern China. Methods This study adopted a qualitative approach. Semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews were conducted with 19 widowed older adults between September–December 2020. Thematic analysis was applied to analyse the data. Results Two major themes, “benefits” and “barriers” were identified from the original data analysis. Subcategories concerning the theme “benefits” were “benefit perception (convenience, flexible time, supplementation)”, “health promotion”, “emotional comfort”, and “social connection”. Subcategories of “barriers” were “worries: personal economic loss”, “concerns: security of digital device”, “troubles: the diversity of online social participation”, and “difficulties: using digital media”. Conclusions Social participation of widowed older adults in southwestern China has begun to be integrated into the digital world; however, it remains at an early stage with the simple purpose of engagement. The older adults may face many challenges for online social participation. Although there are barriers and challenges in online social participation, widowed older adults can reap its benefits, which can be used as an important measure to facilitate a fulfilling life and successful ageing. There is no doubt that online social participation will become a trend within the foreseeable future. Family, friends and health care professionals should pay more attention to the needs of online social participation in widowed older adults and provide adequate support for them to achieve a meaningful life.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benefits and barriers: a qualitative study on online social participation among widowed older adults in Southwest China

Hong

Kong

et al. 2021

BMC Geriatr

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“…This group reports a high level of loneliness and depression, with no effective coping mechanisms to mitigate this feeling. Also, in view of the complexity of marriage and foreseeable risks of remarriage, they do not consider remarry ing (Bennett et al, 2018). In addition to complementary and support previous research, my sample raises three issues and arguments that have not been previously uniquely discussed.…”

Section: Discussion and Further Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…The snowball sampling method employed in this article also may result in selection bias. Akin to many studies focusing on gendered immigration widowhood, the sample of this study is small, which reflects the difficulty of recruiting qualified participants (Bennett et al, 2018). For Chinese immigrant widows, suffering from bereavement and property disputes at the same time is a unique phenomenon.…”

Section: Discussion and Further Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research on Chinese immigrant widows' experiences around the time of the spousal loss focuses on describing in detail the feelings, emotions and fatalist understanding of the nature of such emotions (Chen, 2019;Bennett et al, 2018;Gee, 2000). Besides the exploration of emotional reactions to the death of their beloved, family disputes over inheritance that break out upon the death also directly affect the widows' bereavement.…”

Section: Inheritance Disputes After Spousal Deathmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“My Last Husband and Marriage:” The Impact of Inheritance Disputes on Chinese Immigrants’ Widowhood in the United States

Shi

2021

Ageing Int

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This study explores the unique experiences of the emotional processing of the widowhood of individuals of the Chinese seniors, and immigrant background in the United States. By interviewing eight Chinese immigrant widows living in Phoenix, the United States, this study focuses on the comparison of social relations and lifestyles before and after their spousal loss, as well as the unique forces of their Chinese backgrounds and the transnational remarriages in their bereavement process, and then widow status. The narrative accounts of the participants therein illustrate that transnational marriage and blended families generate a series of practical challenges, including unexpected severed friendships and inheritance disputes between stepmother and stepchildren. The consequences are reflected in the increase of self-loathing and low self-esteem, the refusal to remarry, the rising anger at the betrayal of friends, as well as the rapid formation of a high level of independence and self-determination in such circumstances. These findings increase knowledge of widowhood of Chinese women with immigrant background, therein enrich ethno-cultural diversity in the widowhood studies.This study concludes with the implications of providing bilingual legal aid and counseling to Chinese-origin, US-based, and widows.

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“…As widowhood is a common event in the lives of the elderly, the rapid growth of elderly means that the number of widowed elderly will inevitably increase dramatically. The elderly who were widowed would face major life changes, such as social isolation [3], losing nancial security [4], and changes in leisure activities [5], etc.. Social participation is a very broad concept, including leisure activities, entertainment, social interaction, volunteering, etc. [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benefits and Barriers: A Qualitative Study of Online Social Participation Among Widowed Older Adults in Southwest China

Hong

Kong

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: With the development of information and communication technology, online activities are increasingly becoming part of the daily life of the older adults. As the elderly would face changes in social interactions and activities due to widowhood, the importance of online participation may be more prominent in this group. However, in-depth evidence on the experiences of online social participation among widowed older adults is relatively sparse. This study aimed to explore widowed older adults' perceptions regarding online social participation in southwestern China.Methods: A qualitative design of exploratory research was adopted. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 19 widowed older adults between September-December 2020. The Colaizzi’s method was performed for data analysis. Results: Two major themes “benefits” and “barriers” were identified from the original data analysis. Subcategories concerning the category of “benefits” were “benefit perception (convenience, flexible time, supplementation)”, “health promotion”, “emotional comfort”, “social connection”. Subcategories of “barriers” included “worries: personal economic loss”, “concerns: security of digital device”, “troublesome: the diversity of online social participation”, “difficulties: using digital media”.Conclusions: Online social participation of the elderly is a topic worth exploring. The widowed older adults can truly feel the benefits of online social participation, which can be as an important measure to facilitate successful aging, but there are also barriers for social participation. The level of participation is relatively low. It is recommended to increase the access to use digital media of the elderly, and improve their ability to use it through the support of relatives and friends, as well as targeted education. Meanwhile, companies need to consider the age-friendly design of digital media systems, and the government should further improve the network management system to create a safer network environment.

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“The deceased has left; the alive has to move on”: Experiences of Chinese Widows in the UK

Cited by 6 publications

References 28 publications

Benefits and barriers: a qualitative study on online social participation among widowed older adults in Southwest China

Benefits and barriers: a qualitative study on online social participation among widowed older adults in Southwest China

“My Last Husband and Marriage:” The Impact of Inheritance Disputes on Chinese Immigrants’ Widowhood in the United States

Benefits and Barriers: A Qualitative Study of Online Social Participation Among Widowed Older Adults in Southwest China

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