The Stability and Change in the Social Support Networks of Widowers following Spousal Bereavement

Abstract

Although much progress has been made in our understanding of the nature of social support, the majority of this research has involved older women and has been studied cross-sectionally. The present study comes from a life-span developmental perspective on stability and change over time that examines sex differences in the social support networks of widows (170) and widowers (25) that are compared across 12 months post-bereavement. Most levels of positive support increased from B to W1 in what appears to be a response to spousal bereavement. Sex differences generally demonstrate that widowers receive less support using various measures and across different times of measurement. These findings point to change over time, sex differences, and heterogeneity as important issues when discussing bereavement and social support.