Social Support as A Protective Factor for Widows’ Resilience: A Systematic Literatur Review

Abstract

The most difficult loss is the loss of a life partner. The death of a spouse is not easily accepted by individuals, especially by women, because they have to bear all the stressors. After the death of a spouse, widows make adjustments in carrying out multiple roles, facing negative stigma from society related to their widowhood. Resilience is needed by individuals to be able to survive in difficult circumstances. The ability of resilience in individuals depends on how much social support is obtained as an individual protective factor in dealing with pressure. This study aims to determine resilience in widows after the death of their spouse based on social support. This study uses a systematic literature review method by reviewing research articles published from 2013-2023, using online databases including Science Direct, Scopus, ResearchGate, Academia, SAGE Pub. Based on review, we have found 10 articles are strongly selected to be reviewed. The keywords used to search for articles were "Resilience Widows" and "Social Support” and “Widowhood". The purpose of this study is was to determine the social support received by widows. The research design uses the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The criteria for articles reviewed are international based articles, using qualitative, quantitative and mix method with widow participants. The results found that the social support that widows need is social support that comes from family and relatives with the availability of sympathy, worry and attention to helps widows get through the grieving process and reduce the negative consequence of loss. Therefore, social support has an important role as a protective factor for widows' resilience in managing stressors and helping the proactive coping process.