Unique effects of daily perceived control on anxiety symptomatology during conjugal bereavement

Abstract

The role of daily perceived control was examined in a recently bereaved sample of 34 older adult widows. Trait measures of environmental mastery and stress were measured in questionnaires, and state measures of anxiety, depression, stress, and control were assessed daily over ninety-eight days. Results highlight the critical role of daily control in the months immediately following conjugal loss. After controlling for concurrent depressive symptomatology, intra-individual analyses revealed significant reductions in the magnitude of the stress–anxiety correlation on days in which greater perceived control was present. Results also suggest different vulnerability and protective factors are implicated in the experience of daily anxiety. For widows with greater environmental mastery, there was significant attenuation in the magnitude of the within-person correlation between control and anxiety. In contrast, among widows with chronically high levels of stress, there was greater overlap in ratings of daily stress and anxiety.