Effects Of Widowhood Research Articles

THE LINGERING EFFECTS OF LOSS: WIDOWHOOD AND SUBSTANCE USE IN THE LGBT POPULATION

Abstract The immense stress of widowhood can lead to unhealthy coping strategies, including substance use. Relatively little is known, however, about widowhood’s effects on substance use among sexual minorities. Of the few studies examining LGB widowhood, none employ large, nationally representative samples or consider whether effects depend on current partner status. We address these issues using a sample of 2,258 respondents aged 50 and older who participated in the 2010 Aging with Pride: National Health, Ageing, and Sexuality/Gender Study. Multivariate regression analyses reveal that widowhood is associated with higher odds of being a current smoker and of using drugs in the past year. These results are found for individuals who are currently partnered, as well as those who are not. This observation suggests that widowhood’s negative effects on use of these substances are not attenuated by the potentially protective effect of current partnership. In contrast, the effects of widowhood on alcohol use do appear to be diminished by current partnership. Among those who have experienced widowhood, those with a current partner are less likely than those without a partner to report problematic drinking. Our results suggest that current partnership may protect against problematic use of more socially acceptable substances like alcohol, but it may not prevent less acceptable behaviors like smoking or drug use. In sum, our study suggests that current partnership may not completely counter the lingering effects of partner loss in the LGB population.

THE WIDOWHOOD EFFECT IN COMPLEX SERIOUS ILLNESS: THE IMPACT OF SPOUSAL DEATH ON MORTALITY IN DEMENTIA

Abstract Numerous studies suggest that there is an association between widowhood and mortality. This “widowhood effect” may be heightened in patients with dementia, who have high support needs and for whom spouses typically provide extensive caregiving support. Yet there are limited data on widowhood and mortality that account for dementia status. To determine the relative mortality risk of widowhood among those with and without dementia, we conducted a retrospective cohort study among community-dwelling, married/partnered persons, ≥65 years, enrolled in the Health and Retirement Study, 2000-2018. Among the 12,308 persons (n=390 with dementia), widowhood was not associated with increased mortality, after adjusting for age and dementia status, in men or women (adjusted HR 1.04; 95%C.I.(0.95-1.13); HR 0.96; 95%C.I.(0.87-1.95), respectively). These findings suggest that dementia, age, or other unmeasured confounding variables may account for the previous finding of increased mortality following spousal death. Further research is needed to confirm these findings in diverse populations.

LONG-TERM GENDERED PATHWAYS OF RELIGIOUS INVOLVEMENT POST WIDOWHOOD

Abstract Widowhood is associated with decreased emotional well-being, particularly increased depression. Prior research suggests that religiosity may help improve mental health among widowed individuals. However, longitudinal studies exploring the role of religiosity on emotional well-being among widowed older adults is lacking, as are studies which examine different dimensions of religiosity. This longitudinal study analyzed data from the 2006-2018 waves of the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between widowhood and depression as well as the role of religiosity as a moderator of this association. Analysis was stratified by gender to further explore these interactions. Results show that men and women show similar levels of depression at widowhood, but men are far less likely to be depressed prior to widowhood. Women also show a better recovery pattern over time post-widowhood. Furthermore, religiosity (particularly attending church) is an effective way of coping with widowhood and mitigating depression for both genders. However, men are significantly less religious than women. This study highlights the long-term effects of widowhood on depressive symptomology among older adults. Practical implications of this study include intervention development around increased screening and treatment for depression for widowed older adults (in particular, for widowers) as well as connecting this vulnerable population with resources. These findings may also inform program outreach (such as hospice bereavement services) that aim to facilitate healthy grieving among widowed older adults.

Do Personality Traits Moderate the Effects of Cohabitation, Separation, and Widowhood on Life Satisfaction? A Longitudinal Test for Germany

The start and end of a romantic relationship are associated with substantial changes in life satisfaction. Yet, whether Big Five personality traits moderate these relationship transition effects is hardly known. Such knowledge helps to understand individual variation in relationship transition effects and provides the possibility to further test the stress and social support explanations of these effects. Our fixed effects regressions on 28 waves of the German Socio-Economic Panel 1991-2018 show that Big Five traits moderate the effects of relationship transitions on life satisfaction to a limited extent. More neurotic men display a more negative effect of separation, and more neurotic and more agreeable women reveal a more negative effect of widowhood on life satisfaction. Big Five traits do not moderate the effect of the start of cohabitation on life satisfaction. Our findings support the stress perspective of relationship transition effects most and identify emotionally unstable individuals as a particularly vulnerable group.

Widowhood and Mortality Among Chinese Older Adults in Singapore: The Roles of Gender and Perceived Social Support.

Although the association between widowhood and mortality is well established, the impact of widowhood on mortality could differ by social support, gender, and widowhood duration. We studied the association between widowhood and mortality among older Chinese adults in Singapore and analyzed how social support, gender, and widowhood duration may modify this association. We used data from 15,858 participants aged 61-96 years from the third follow-up of the population-based Singapore Chinese Health Study in 2014-2016. Mortality data were obtained through linkage with the national death registry through 31st December 2018, and social support was measured with the Duke Social Support Scale. We used Cox proportional hazard models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between widowhood and mortality risk. Compared with those married, widowed adults had a higher mortality risk (HR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.01-1.38), and this risk was higher for those who were either recently widowed (<5 years; HR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.00-1.63) or long-term widowed (>10 years; HR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.07-1.54). Among men, those recently widowed had the highest mortality risk (HR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.06-2.13), whereas, among women, those long-term widowed had the highest mortality risk (HR = 1.26, 95% CI = 0.99-1.60). In the analysis stratified by social support, widowhood was associated with mortality among those with low social support (HR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.05-1.54), but not among those with high social support (HR = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.76-1.33). Widowhood was associated with increased mortality risk, particularly among recently widowed men and long-term widowed women. Having adequate social support could attenuate the adverse effects of widowhood among older adults.

Women in Manju Kapur’s Brothers

Despite cultural, moral, or geographical variations, women all around the world share a sisterhood that unites them in a perpetual relation. When it comes to their shared experiences as women, they are both unique and similar. Although it's titled Brothers, Manju Kapur's latest novel devotes significant attention to strong female bonds among sisters who persevere in the face of patriarchal oppression. Although women's rights are improving throughout time, they still have a long way to go before they reach the "promised land" of full equality with men. The tale follows two brothers as they pursue careers in politics in the city of pink, Jaipur. In addition, the book has female protagonists whose stories evolve in tandem with those of women's rights activists in India. The novel uses the characters' experiences to show how movements to empower women have helped reduce the negative effects of sati, widowhood, widow remarriage, and parenthood. However, patriarchal constraints on women's sexuality continue to be a problem that limits their agency. The novelist's reaction to women's movements in India, as shown via the actions of her characters, is what first captures the attention of a scholar. As a result, the novel raises a number of complex and nuanced questions about the status of women in contemporary India.a

The Widowhood Effect on Mortality in Older Patients with Hip Fracture.

ObjectiveWidowed people have increased mortality than married people of the same age, a phenomenon known as the widowhood effect. This study aimed to investigate whether this effect exists in older patients with hip fracture.MethodsUsing our own hip fracture database, a total of 1101 hip fracture patients were consecutively included from January 2014 to December 2021. Marital status was stratified as married (n = 793) and widowed (n = 308). Patients survival status was obtained from medical records or telephone follow-ups, and the outcomes were all-cause mortality at 30 days, 1 year and at latest follow-up. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association between marital status and mortality, and subgroup analyses according to sex were also conducted.ResultsCompared with married patients, widowed patients were more likely to be older, female and intertrochanteric fracture, and were less likely to be urban area, smoking, drinking, and surgical treatment (P < 0.05). After a median follow-up of 37.1 months, the 30-day mortality was 4.3% (n = 47), 1-year mortality was 19.3% (n = 178), and total mortality was 34.2% (n = 376). Multivariate Cox analysis showed that widowed marital status remained an independent risk factor for 1-year mortality (HR = 1.437, 95% CI: 1.054–1.959, P = 0.022), and total mortality (HR = 1.296, 95% CI: 1.038–1.618, P = 0.022), whereas this association was not found in 30-day mortality (HR = 1.200, 95% CI: 0.607–2.376, P = 0.599). Moreover, subgroup analyses also found that the widowhood effect on mortality was present in both male and female.ConclusionWidowed marital status seems to be an independent risk factor for long-term mortality in older patients with hip fracture.

Can the internet mitigate the negative effect of widowhood on Quality of Life? A gender analysis

Widowhood often reduces the Quality of Life of individuals of advanced ages by negatively affecting their social network ties. Yet conversely, the Internet has also created new opportunities for communication and interaction, thus contributing to improved Quality of Life. This research analyses the role of the Internet in the relationship between widowhood and Quality of Life from a gender perspective.This study focuses on 31,814 individuals aged 65 or over residing in 17 European countries who participated in Wave 6 of SHARE – the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe.The linear regression analyses highlighted that the role of the Internet in the relationship between widowhood and Quality of Life varies according to gender. More specifically, in Europe, the Quality of Life for widowed women aged 65+ using the Internet is .414 higher (CI=.006 to .0822) than widows who do not use the Internet and married women or women in a de facto relationship whether or not they use the Internet. The results have relevant implications for the development of social policies and suggest a need to develop digital inclusion projects targeting older people, particularly widows, to help promote their Quality of Life.

Widowhood Impairs Emotional Cognition Among Elderly.

BackgroundThe negative impacts of spousal bereavement on the emotional health of the elderly (e.g., depression and anxiety) have been revealed. However, whether widowhood impairs emotional cognition among the elderly is less known. The purpose of this study is to reveal the emotional cognitive deficits among the widowed elderly.MethodsIn this study, we recruited 44 widowed elderly (WE) and 44 elder couples (non-widowed elderly, NWE) and examined their emotional cognition including attention and visual working memory, which were measured by the visual search task and delayed-match-to-sample task, respectively. Three kinds of emotional faces (i.e., sad, angry, and happy) were adopted as the attentional or mnemonic targets.ResultsIt revealed that WE had a general deficit in search efficiency across emotional types, while they showed mnemonic deficits in negative faces but not positive faces. Furthermore, the modeling analysis revealed that the level of depression or state anxiety of the elderly moderated the effects of widowhood on the deficits of mnemonic processing, i.e., the deficits were only evident among WE with the high level of depression or state anxiety.ConclusionThese findings reveal the attentional deficits in sad, angry, and happy faces and the mnemonic deficits in sad and angry faces among elderly who suffer from widowhood and point out the important role of emotional problems such as depression and state anxiety in modulating these emotional cognitive deficits.

Change in Episodic Memory With Spousal Loss: The Role of Social Relationships.

The spousal relationship is one of the most important social contexts in old age, and the loss of a spouse/partner is associated with stress and cognitive decline. In the present study, we examined whether social relationships can buffer potential negative effects of spousal loss on cognition. We examined the role of social network, social activities, and perceived deficiencies in social relationships (loneliness). We used longitudinal data between 1998 and 2012 from 2,074 participants of the Health and Retirement Study, who had experienced spousal loss during the study period. Multilevel modeling was used to examine how time-varying indicators of social network, social activities, and loneliness were related to age-related trajectories of episodic memory prior to and after spousal loss. Analyses controlled for gender, race/ethnicity, education, time-varying functional health, and being repartnered/remarried. Having children living within 10 miles and providing help to others buffered negative effects of widowhood on episodic memory. In addition, within-person increase in providing help to others buffered against decline in episodic memory after spousal loss. Having friends in the neighborhood, more frequent social visits, providing help to others, volunteering, and lack of loneliness were related to higher episodic memory, while having relatives in the neighborhood was related to lower episodic memory. Our findings suggest that social networks, social activities, and loneliness are related to levels of cognitive function at the time of spousal loss and that social relationships can buffer negative effects of spousal loss on cognitive function. Implications for future research are discussed.

Widowhood and Health Status Among Chinese Older Adults: The Mediation Effects of Different Types of Support.

Although many studies have suggested that widowhood is related to worse health conditions among older adults, few have examined the mediation effects of social support between widowhood and health. Employing mediation analysis to a sample of data from the 2014 wave of China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS), this study examined the mediation effects of social support, including emotional support, instrumental support, and companionship, in the widowhood-health association among older adults. The results indicated that the negative effect of widowhood on older adults' health was in part attributable to decreased emotional support and companionship. Specifically, emotional support exerted a significant role in the widowhood-mental health association, and companionship exerted a significant role in widowhood-physical health and widowhood-mental health associations. In the subsample analysis, the mediation effects were only significant among female older adults, and among rural older adults. Our findings highlight the importance of emotional support and companionship in maintaining health among widowed older adults and strategies should pay more attention to female and rural widowed older adults.

On the Management of Broken Hearts: Learnings from the Widow(er)hood Effect for Stakeholder Relationship Management

The article’s focus is on the widow(er)hood effect—a phenomenon that has been found among individuals across the world and throughout decades—which refers to an increased risk of morbidity as well as mortality of a surviving spouse following his or her partner’s death. By transferring the essence of the phenomenon to the relationship marketing domain, it is discussed how its theoretical frame can contribute to further advance the understanding and management of stakeholder relationships. Concretely, a conceptual framework, as well as possible practical scenarios of stakeholder widow(er)hood effects, are discussed and associated impacts for companies are elicited.

Spousal bereavement and the cognitive health of older adults in the US: New insights on channels, single items, and subjective evidence

This study provides novel insights into older adults’ cognitive functioning before and after widowhood onset and possible effect channels. It further examines gender heterogeneity in the adaptation to (anticipated or actual) spousal bereavement, comparing objective evidence with subjective evidence of cognitive abilities. We used longitudinal data of up to 26,584 participants of the Health and Retirement Study, aged over 50 at recruitment, assessed biennially between 1998 and 2016. Two-way fixed effects with dynamic treatment effects were estimated for various cognitive measures, including six aggregated indices and six single item scales. After adjusting for effect channels including depression, social vulnerability, and stress, there remained significant widowhood effects on older adults’ cognitive health. Using single item scales, we established the adverse contemporaneous and adaptation effects on bereaved older females’ short-term memory, semantic memory, and numeracy. For bereaved older males, working memory and focus-of-attention deteriorated after widowhood onset. Meanwhile, subjective memory rating remained intact, contrary to objective evidence. We conclude that cognitive transitions to and from widowhood can exhibit distinctive patterns across objective and subjective cognitive domains. With the effect channels in mind, cognitive intervention for widowed older adults should be tailored to the temporal distance to spousal loss, gender, and task.

The Association between Widowhood and Cognitive Function among Chinese Elderly People: Do Gender and Widowhood Duration Make a Difference?

Few studies have examined the effects of widowhood on cognitive function in Chinese elderly individuals. We conducted a longitudinal study to assess the association between widowhood and cognitive function and further explored gender differences in this association and the impact of widowhood duration. The analytical sample consisted of 5872 Chinese elderly people who participated in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) and were followed up from 2005 to 2014. We used the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) to assess cognitive function. Widowhood duration was calculated from the self-reported year at which the spouse passed away. Multilevel growth models were employed to estimate the association between widowhood and cognitive function while adjusting for many demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Widowhood status was associated with cognitive decline among Chinese elderly individuals after adjusting for covariates (B = −0.440, 95% CI −0.727 to −0.152), and this association was only statistically significant among men (B = −0.722, 95% CI −1.104 to −0.339). Being widowed for 5 years or less (B = −0.606, 95% CI −1.112 to −0.100), 16–20 years (B = −0.937, 95% CI −1.685 to −0.190), and 21+ years (B = −1.401, 95% CI −1.967 to −0.834) predicted worse cognitive function in men, while being widowed for more than 21+ years (B = −0.655, 95% CI −1.186 to −0.124) was associated with cognitive decline in women. More attention should be directed towards widowed men and long-term widowed elderly individuals.

Effects of divorce and widowhood on subsequent health behaviours and outcomes in a sample of middle-aged and older Australian adults

Marital disruption is a common life event with potential health implications. We examined the prospective association of divorce/widowhood with subsequent lifestyles, psychological, and overall health outcomes within short and longer terms using three waves of data from the 45 and Up Study in Australia (T1, 2006–09; T2, 2010; T3, 2012–16). Marital status and health-related outcomes were self-reported using validated questionnaires. Nine outcomes were examined including lifestyles (smoking, drinking, diet and physical activity), psychological outcomes (distress, anxiety and depression) and overall health/quality of life. Logistic regression was adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and baseline health outcomes. Of the 33,184 participants who were married at T1 (mean age 59.5 ± 9.3 years), after 3.4 years, 2.9% became divorced and 2.4% widowed at T2. Recent divorce was positively associated with smoking, poor quality of life, high psychological distress, anxiety and depression at T2. Similar but weaker associations were observed for widowhood. However, these associations were much attenuated at T3 (5 years from T2). Marital disruption in midlife or at an older age can be detrimental to health, particularly psychological health in the short term. Public awareness of the health consequences of spousal loss should be raised. Resources, including professional support, should be allocated to help individuals navigate these difficult life transitions.

The Role of Purpose in Life in the Relationship Between Widowhood and Cognitive Decline Among Older Adults in the U.S.

The objective of this study was to examine the role of purpose in life in the relationship between widowhood and cognitive decline. This study used a sample of 12,856 respondents (20,408 observations) collected from a national panel survey, the 2006-2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), that sampled older adults aged 50 or older. The study estimated growth-curve models with years since spousal death, purpose in life, and interaction between the two to predict cognition using three measures-total cognition, fluid, and crystallized intelligence scores. We also estimated growth-curve models by sex, race/ethnicity, and education. While years since spousal death negatively correlated with cognition, purpose in life positively correlated with cognition. Furthermore, purpose in life had a moderating effect on the relationship between years since spousal death and cognition. This effect was found by using total cognition (coef.=0.0515; z=2.64; p < 0.01) and fluid intelligence scores (coef.=0.0576; z=3.23; p < 0.05). The same effects were salient among females (coef.=0.0556; z=2.19; p < 0.05), Whites (coef.=0.0526; z=2.52; p < 0.05), and older adults with more education (coef.=0.0635; z=2.10; p < 0.05). Higher purpose in life relates to the negative correlations between widowhood and cognition of older adults. Educational programs improving purpose in life are a possible avenue for reducing the adverse effect of widowhood on cognition and warrant future exploration.

Immigration Background and the Widowhood Effect on Mortality.

ObjectivesWidowhood is a stressful life event with one of the most profound negative effects on health and longevity. Immigrant populations are growing and aging throughout Western nations, and marginalization and cultural differences may make some immigrants especially vulnerable to the stressors of widowhood. However, studies have yet to systematically explore whether the widowhood effect differs between immigrant and native-born individuals.MethodsUsing Danish population register data from 1980 to 2014, this study assesses whether the relationship between widowhood and mortality differs between immigrants from 10 countries and native-born Danes aged 50 and older at 0–2, 3–5, and 6 and more years post-widowhood.ResultsWe find that immigrant men are at higher risk of dying in the first 2 years after experiencing widowhood than Danish-born men, but these mortality differences dissipate over longer periods. Immigrant women have a higher risk of having died 3 and more years after a spouse’s death than Danish women. Patterns vary further by country of origin.DiscussionThe results suggest that some immigrants may suffer more from widowhood than native-born individuals, giving insight into how immigration background may influence the health effects of negative life events. They also underscore the potential vulnerabilities of aging immigrant populations to stressors encountered in older age.

Widowhood and depression among Chinese older adults: examining coping styles and perceptions of aging as mediators and moderators

Objectives: Based on the stress-coping framework, this study examined the role of coping styles and perceptions of aging in the relationship between widowhood and depression through two alternative pathways—mediation and moderation—with a national probability sample of older adults in China. Method: The data came from the baseline wave of the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey of 2014. Our final sample featured 8,404 older adults. Results: The results of structural equation modeling showed a good fit for the total sample (NFI = .909, IFI = .916, GFI = .963, RMSEA = .038) and indicated the significant direct impact of widowhood on depression among Chinese older adults. Moreover, the findings of mediating effects found compared with a married group, widowed older adults used less problem-focused coping and had more negative perceptions of aging, which in turn, predicted higher depression; they were also more likely to use emotion-focused coping, which in turn, predicted lower depression. The results of moderation analysis demonstrated that a higher level of negative perceptions of aging significantly worsened the adverse effects of widowhood on depression. Conclusion: Overall, our findings highlight the importance of a cognitive approach to targeting programs for widowed older adults in China, with a focus on strengthening their abilities to alter maladaptive copings styles and reauthor their life narratives.

Social Participation in Widowhood: Evidence From a 12-Year Panel.

Social participation is important to the quality of life of older adults, especially widows. This is the first study to test whether older widows' formal and informal social participation rises or declines using multiple panel observations pre- and postbereavement. This article also tests the moderating effects of economic and marital satisfaction, depression, and husband's illness before death on these trends. Seven waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing are used to track changes in 4 measures of social participation-meeting and contacting a child, meeting friends, and attending a formal group. A comparison group of married individuals, weighted with coarsened exact matching, controls for age and time trends. Mixed model regressions estimate the effects of widowhood over time. Social participation shows little change before bereavement and rises significantly after bereavement for all measures. However, frequencies of meeting and contacting a child peak and decline early postbereavement, while meeting friends and attending a group show delayed but long-lasting effects. With regard to moderators, economic and marital satisfaction are positively associated with overall social participation levels but negatively associated with social participation postbereavement. Increased social participation after bereavement underscores the resilience of widows and the social support they receive. However, differences in timing suggest that contact with children is gradually substituted with extrafamilial relationships in the long run. The negative moderating roles of economic and marital satisfaction point to a paradox where seemingly well-off individuals may be more vulnerable to widowhood.

Social isolation as a consequence of transitions in partner relationships: How formations and endings of partner relationships affect the risk of social disconnectedness

Objective: The study examines whether the risk of social isolation is affected by a union formation, marriage and by relationship endings.&#x0D; Background: Social isolation is a broadly discussed social problem but little is known about how social isolation emerges. As regards the role of partner relationships, previous research has yielded mixed results on whether there are isolating effects of marriage, separations or widowhood.&#x0D; Method: We use longitudinal data deriving from the German Socioeconomic Panel to analyse the impact of transitions in partner relationships on different manifestations of social isolation (disconnectedness from friends and relatives, non-participation in civic associations). Analyses on the impact of union formation and marriage are based on information on 11,359 persons. Analyses on the impact of relationship endings are based on information on 30,730 persons.&#x0D; Results: Union formation and marriage are found to have little effect in terms of promoting social isolation. Endings of partner relationships, by contrast, entail an increased risk of being isolated at the same time from friendships, relatives and civil associations.&#x0D; Conclusion: Taken together, the findings suggest that those who had limited their social interaction to the spouse or partner often fail to become re-integrated when the relationship had ended. It can be assumed that this is a common pathway into social isolation.