Weathering Widowhood: Problems and Adjustment of the Widowed during the First Year

Abstract

Widows (n = 78) and widowers (n = 41) whose spouses died at a midwest suburban hospital were interviewed thirteen to sixteen months after they were widowed. An 8–item self-report measure of adjustment-depression was developed. The article discusses the factors related to adjustment, the problems faced by the widowed during the first year of bereavement, those who helped the most during the final hospitalization and during bereavement, and finally some practical considerations for those who are concerned with the problems of the widowed. Key results showed that adjustment was more difficult for widows than for widowers, that anticipatory grief was an important factor in the adjustment of widows, and that follow-up visits by physicians and local clergy were helpful to the widowed, 25 per cent of whom were still depressed after one year.

Gender differences in major depressive disorder: findings from the Singapore Mental Health Study

“…(33) Widowed women also had higher odds of MDD than their single counterparts, as the death of a spouse may have adversely affected their mental health. (34) Contrary to some findings that marriage was a 'buffer' or protective factor for depression, (3,35) others have found that married women were more likely to have higher rates of depression compared to those who were divorced or separated; (36) however, we did not find this association among our sample.…”

Predictors of psychological adjustment after bereavement

“…In this study, older widows and widowers had worse outcomes than younger widowed individuals. Although some studies suggest a relationship in the opposite direction (Sable, 1991) or a non-linear connection (Fitzpatrick and Van Tran, 2002), this outcome is consistent with most preceding studies reporting an association between age and distress (Carey, 1979;Cotten, 1999;Mendes de Leon et al, 1994). The impact of education on bereavement outcome has been less examined.…”

“…Not all studies manage to demonstrate a relationship between education and psychological adjustment (Feinson, 1982). However, where an association was found, it was in the same direction as demonstrated in our study (Carey, 1979). Poorly educated widows and widowers experienced more distress.…”

“…However, only a few studies have demonstrated more distress in widows (Carey, 1979;Feinson, 1982;Jacobs et al, 1989), as was the case in our study. Most research suggests the opposite.…”

“…Risk factors for poor bereavement outcomes have been examined extensively. The majority of studies focused on demographic features, such as gender (Stroebe et al, 2001), age (Cotten, 1999), race (Fitzpatrick and Van Tran, 2002), education (Carey, 1979), and employment (Faletti et al, 1989). Health-related variables, both physical (Feinson, 1982) and mental (Zisook and Shuchter, 1991) were also suggested several times.…”