LIFE AFTER LOSS: EMERGING INSIGHTS ON GRIEF ADJUSTMENT AND HEALTH IN LATE LIFE

Abstract

Abstract Recent scholarship recognizes that grief adjustment is not a staged, linear process. In late life, the loss of close others is common and dynamic. However, little is known about the ‘ripple effects’ from loss experiences. As people are living longer, it is important to gain insight regarding how loss is processed, carried, and used for self-direction. This symposium responds to GSA’s 2022 meeting theme of “Reimagining Aging” by presenting emerging research which reimagines grief adjustment across diverse populations. To begin, Sara Hackett, PhD will share her work on the continuing bonds of older conjugally bereaved women and how they shape perceptions about repartnering. Following, Emily Mroz, PhD will present on affective sequences in final memories from past spousal loss and demonstrate how sequences predict future caregiving confidence in these widowed older adults. Danielle McDuffie, MA will add to this rich discussion by shedding light on predictors of bereavement and grief outcomes specific to Black adults. Last, Holly Prigerson, PhD will outline unmet psychological needs of family caregivers of patients who die in ICU settings and present her work on EMPOWER, an intervention aimed to reduce psychological distress and foster caregiver adjustment across the loss experience in this setting. Stephanie Wladkowski, PhD, our discussant, will tie these perspectives together, facilitating an important dialogue regarding classic and newly-considered impacts of grief in late life. Further, she will discuss how through more closely examining peoples’ experiences during and after loss, we can recognize late-life bereavement as shaping self-perceptions, relationships, and mental health.