Late-life Widowhood Research Articles

MARITAL DISSOLUTION AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN MIDDLE AND LATE LIFE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE HEALTH AND RETIREMENT STUDY

Abstract Literature to date has long indicated that marital relationships serve as one of the most important sources of health and well-being across adulthood. Despite the well-documented link between marital status and health, however, studies that have examined strict within-person linkages between martial transitions and subsequent health are limited . Drawing from the strength and vulnerability integration theory and the life course perspective, we investigated within-person mental health consequences of two forms of marital dissolution (i.e., divorce and widowhood), and whether the mental health consequences vary depending on the timing of marital dissolution (i.e., midlife vs late adulthood). Data for this study came from 11 waves of longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (1998-2018). Study sample included 22,911 individuals 50 and older (11,429 women, 11,482 men) who were selected at the first wave at which they were identified as married during the observation period and subsequently followed up for up to 14 years (person-wave observations N=127,081). Approximately 4% and 17% of the study sample experienced a divorce and widowhood, respectively, during the observation. Mental health was assessed with an 8-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Study findings based on multilevel models indicated a robust within-person association between transition to widowhood and higher levels of depressive symptoms, but such association was not found regarding divorce. For women only, the mental health consequences of widowhood experienced during midlife were more detrimental compared to late-life widowhood. The findings are discussed in the context of intervention strategies.

The gendered experience of social resources in the transition to late-life widowhood

AbstractSocial resources – close relationships, support exchange and social engagement – can play an important role in successful adjustment to widowhood in later life. However, it is not clear whether access to, and the utilisation of, social resources are different for men and women during late-life widowhood. This study provides a qualitative exploration of the experience of social resources in the lives of older widowed men and women across the transition to widowhood (from pre-widowhood to later widowhood). Using a life course theory lens, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 men and women who had been widowed in later life. The interview data were analysed using the framework approach. Four phases in the transition to widowhood were identified: ‘Illness and caring’, ‘Relocation and separation’, ‘Early bereavement’ and ‘Life goes on’. Widowhood brings great change to the accessibility and utilisation of social resources, and each of these transitional phases was associated with differential usage of these resources. Gender differences were observed in the availability of social resources across the transition to widowhood, with widowed men typically found to have smaller friendship networks, receive less support and be at increased risk of social isolation. Particular attention is required to ensure that all older widowed men and women have access to sufficient social support and contact following bereavement.

Loneliness Following Widowhood: The Role of the Military and Social Support

Increased loneliness is a common consequence of widowhood in later life. However, individuals with high levels of perceived social support from friends tend to cope more effectively following major social losses like widowhood. Military service is associated with cultivation of strong social support structures. This effect may not only influence those who serve, but also their spouses. Roughly half of older women today are married to veterans, which could shape how they cope with widowhood. We tested two hypotheses: (a) widows of veterans will be less lonely following widowhood compared to their nonveteran counterparts, and (b) this effect will be explained by perceived social support from friends. We used the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to examine changes in loneliness following widowhood among wives of veterans and nonveterans. We used Ordinary Least Squares regression and mediation tests to address our hypotheses. Net of baseline differences, widows of veterans reported statistically lower levels of loneliness (p < .05) following widowhood compared to widows of nonveterans. Widows of veterans retained the same level of perceived social support from friends pre- and postwidowhood, whereas nonveteran wives experienced a loss. Perceived social support from friends mediated the association between veteran status of the deceased spouse and loneliness. Our findings suggest wives of veterans may have more resilient social support structures than nonveteran spouses, helping them cope at widowhood. Future research should explore whether these effects persist in association with other major stressful events in later life.

Trajectories of depression symptoms in Chinese elderly during widowhood: a secondary analysis

Objectives: This study aims to identify heterogeneous depressive symptom trajectories among the widowed elderly in China, to explore predictive variables of latent class membership, and to detect between-classes differences in life satisfaction across time.Method: Data of 198 individuals widowed between 2011 and 2013 were drawn from The China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a nationally representative survey. Latent class growth analysis was employed to identify depressive symptom trajectories across 2011, 2013, and 2015, and a three-step auxiliary approach was applied to detect predictive variables of latent class membership. Mixed Analysis of Variances was followed to make between-class comparisons on life satisfaction across time.Results: Four grieving trajectories were identified: resilient (54.6%), chronic grief (23.7%), depressed-improved (11.6%), and chronic depression (10.1%). Older age, living exclusively with spouse before widowhood, and agricultural Hukou were significant predictors of depressed-improved, chronic grief, and chronic depression patterns, respectively. Life satisfaction in all groups except for the resilient one remained stable across time, and that of the chronic depression group was significantly lower than those of all the remaining groups.Conclusion: Consistent depressive symptom trajectories during late-life widowhood exist across nations while the specific culture, values, and resources in the Chinese context may have contributed to a particularly high proportion of the chronic grief trajectory. More efforts should be made to identify patterns with predictors before support are provided, and interventions need to be tailored to target specific needs in each subgroup of the elderly during their transitions to widowhood.

A systematic review of late-life spousal bereavement and widowhood, with an emphasis on immigrants in western countries, and older Chinese adults

ABSTRACTSpousal bereavement becomes increasingly common among older-aged individuals, posing considerable challenges to adults in late life. Immigrants, and older Chinese immigrants to Western countries, specifically may experience heightened negative outcomes as a consequence of spousal bereavement, due to migratory stress and marginalisation. This systematic review aims to summarise the research literature on spousal bereavement and/or widowhood in late life, with an emphasis on immigrants to Western countries in general and older Chinese adults. The paucity of spousal bereavement adjustment studies on older immigrants, and specifically on older Chinese immigrants, highlights the need for further research on this topic in order to inform the development of culturally sensitive interventions for social work services for this population.

The Effect of Widowhood on Parent–Child Relationships in Korea: Do Parents’ Filial Expectations and Geographic Proximity to Children Matter?

Although previous research based on data from the U.S. suggests that parents' widowhood is associated with increased emotional support from children, little is known about the impact of late-life widowhood on intergenerational relationships in other cultures. Using data of Korean older adults, this paper examined: (1) the effect of widowhood on both positive and negative aspects of parent-child relationships and (2) whether these effects are moderated by older adults' expectations about children's filial responsibilities and the geographic proximity to their children. Analyses are based on data from the Hallym Aging Study, a stratified multi-stage probability sample of older adults living in the cities of Seoul and Chuncheon in Korea. Compared to married older adults, widowed persons in this sample reported higher levels of ambivalence, lower levels of positive interactions, and higher levels of negative interactions with their children. Parents' notion about filial responsibilities did not have a significant moderating effect, whereas geographic proximity to children was a significant moderator. Findings suggest that widowhood is associated with greater strain in intergenerational relationships in Korea. Helping widowed older adults forge constructive relationships with their children may enhance both bereaved older adults' and their children's well-being in this cultural milieu.

Food behavior change in late-life widowhood: A two-stage process

Widowhood is a common life event for married older women. Prior research has found disruptions in eating behaviors to be common among widows. Little is known about the process underlying these disruptions. The aim of this study was to generate a theoretical understanding of the changing food behaviors of older women during the transition of widowhood. Qualitative methods based on constructivist grounded theory guided by a critical realist worldview were used. Individual active interviews were conducted with 15 community-living women, aged 71–86 years, living alone, and widowed six months to 15 years at the time of the interview. Participants described a variety of educational backgrounds and levels of health, were mainly white and of Canadian or European descent, and reported sufficient income to meet their needs. The loss of regular shared meals initiated a two-stage process whereby women first fall into new patterns and then re-establish the personal food system, thus enabling women to redirect their food system from one that satisfied the couple to one that satisfied their personal food needs. Influences on the trajectory of the change process included the couple's food system, experience with nutritional care, food-related values, and food-related resources. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Reciprocity in material and time support within parent–child relationships during late-life widowhood

ABSTRACTThe exchange of informal support within the social network plays a vital role in enabling older adults to remain living in the community as they age. Following spousal loss in later life, the exchange of instrumental support is of particular importance in order to meet the practical and financial needs of the bereaved spouse. Adult children are typically the primary source of social contact and informal support for older widowed adults following bereavement. However, very little is known of the longitudinal changes that occur in the exchange of instrumental support with children during the transition to late-life widowhood. Trajectories and predictors of change in material and time support exchange in parent–child relationships were modelled over a 15-year period for 1,266 older adults (mean age 76.7 years). Widowed older adults received more material and time support from their children than their married peers. Proximity to children, age at spousal loss, self-rated health, cognitive functioning and income were predictive of levels of exchanged instrumental support in late-life widowhood. Short-term reciprocity appears to continue in parent–child relationships during late-life widowhood. The implications of the findings for policy and practice are discussed, including the role of children in the support networks of older widowed adults and the potential difficulties faced by those who do not have access to informal avenues of support.

Managing widowhood in later life: The challenges encountered

Background/aim Widowhood in later life is a transition experienced by many older people, particularly older women. This paper explores the challenges encountered by a group of older women experiencing the loss of a spouse or partner. Methods The data is drawn from a longitudinal study exploring the significance of personal communities in managing the transition of later life widowhood. A series of qualitative interviews were conducted with 26 older widows (62–90 years of age) over a period of 18 months. Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis. Results This paper presents a number of themes from the women's accounts of their Christmas celebrations and their Christmas cards, which illustrate the challenges to managing widowhood in later life. Themes included: family friction, dependence, additional losses, over commitment, passivity and feeling different. Conclusion The findings reveal that Christmas can be an isolating and excluding experience for some older women, and that widowhood can be compounded by age-related illness, and the loss of social relationships and roles in later life. The research has a number of implications for practice with older women who are widows.

The impact of spousal loss on parent–child relations in later life: Are effects contingent upon the quality of the late marriage?

We use data from the Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC) to examine (1) the effect of late-life widowhood on parent–child relations at 6- and 18-month follow-ups; (2) the extent to which effects are conditional upon three qualities of the late marriage (positive and negative interactions, and emotional dependence); and (3) pathways linking marital quality to parent–child relations. We focus on three aspects of parent–child relationships: support, criticism and dependence. Widowed persons report significantly less criticism from and more dependence upon children than do married controls, although effects are conditional upon characteristics of the late marriage. Among the bereaved, marital warmth is associated with high levels of support from children post-loss, whereas marital strains are associated with less emotional support from and dependence on children. Widow(er)s who were highly dependent on their late spouse report lower levels of criticism from children. We discuss implications for bereavement...

Ethno-cultural diversity in the experience of widowhood in later life: Chinese widows in Canada

This paper utilizes Helena Znaniecka Lopata's concept of life frameworks as a lens through which to understand the experience of widowhood amongst elderly Chinese immigrant women living in Toronto, Canada. While Lopata defined life frameworks as including social supports, social relations and social roles, for these widows, personal resources (framed in Chinese cultural context) were also important aspects of life frameworks. In-depth interviews with 20 widows contacted through a Chinese community center were conducted in Mandarin and Cantonese and then transcribed and interpreted through team-based qualitative analyses. These women ranged in age from 69 to 93years and had been in Canada an average of 17years, with over half of them widowed following immigration. Our analysis framed the widows' narratives in terms of four types of supports defined by Lopata: social, service, financial and emotional supports. They had fairly extensive social and service supports focused primarily around family and the Chinese community. Although norms of filial piety traditionally dictate sons as primary supports, daughters predominated as providers of supports to these widows. Interpreted from a life course perspective, financial supports were deemed sufficient, despite overall limited financial means. Emotional support was more nuanced and complex for these widows. Loneliness and feelings of social isolation were prevalent. Nevertheless, themes of acceptance and satisfaction dominated our findings, as did reciprocity and exchange. The narrative accounts of these widows depict a complexity of experience rooted in their biographies as Chinese women and as immigrants, rather than primarily in widowhood itself.

Do Special Occasions Trigger Psychological Distress Among Older Bereaved Spouses? An Empirical Assessment of Clinical Wisdom

Mental health professionals have suggested that widowed persons experience heightened psychological distress on dates that had special meaning for them and their late spouse, such as a wedding anniversary or the late spouse's birthday. This study examined the effects of such occasions on grief, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in a community sample of older widowed persons. OLS regression models were estimated using data from the Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC) study, a large prospective probability study of late-life widowhood. Participants were interviewed prior to and both 6 and 18 months after spousal loss; married matched controls were interviewed at comparable times. Widowed persons reported heightened psychological distress when interviewed during the month of their late spouse's birthday, a post-holiday period (January), and in June, a month associated with wedding anniversaries and graduations in the United States. The distressing effects of special occasions on psychological symptoms were evidenced only within the first 6 months postloss, and were not apparent at the 18-month follow-up. Our results support the clinical observation that persons in the early stages of spousal bereavement are at increased risk of psychological distress at times with special significance to the couple. We highlight methodological and clinical implications.

Impact of Widowhood on Parent–Child Relations: Does Parents' Personality Matter?

The authors evaluated the extent to which the short‐term effect of late life widowhood on parent–child relationships is moderated by 5 personality traits—Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Openness to Experience—and how these interactive effects differ by gender. Data were from the Changing Lives of Older Couples Study (N = 1,532). The results indicated that the effects of widowhood on positive and negative interactions with children were significantly moderated by Agreeableness, Extraversion, and Openness to Experience. An agreeable personality helped widowed persons receive more positive interactions, whereas Openness to Experience reduced negative interactions. Widowed persons with higher Extraversion reported more negative interactions. Furthermore, moderating effects of Extraversion and Openness to Experience differed by gender; specifically, higher Extraversion scores predicted increased positive interactions with children for widowed women but decreased positive interactions for widowed men. The significant association between Openness to Experience and decreased negative interactions with children was more apparent among men than among women.

A Longitudinal Analysis of Social Engagement in Late-Life Widowhood

Very little is known of the longitudinal changes that occur in contact with children and participation in social activities during late-life widowhood. Using data on social networks and activities drawn from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing, trajectories of change in social engagement were modeled for 1266 participants (mean age 76.7 years) over a 16-year period. Levels of social engagement were found to remain high during older age and rose following the transition to widowhood. Frequency of phone contact with children and participation in social activities were higher for widowed than married participants. However, the very-old, males, those in lower socio-economic groups, in poorer health, or without a child living nearby were found to have lower levels of social engagement in widowhood, and may be at increased risk of social isolation. High levels of social engagement during widowhood may assist individuals in successfully overcoming the challenges of spousal bereavement.

Depression and Resilience in Late Life Widowhood: Testing Mediation Model of Social Support

Depression and Resilience in Late Life Widowhood: Testing Mediation Model of Social Support

RevisitingWidowhood in Later Life: Changes in Patterns and Profiles, Advances in Research and Understanding

This analysis reviews the ways in which both the experience of widowhood in old age and the nature of research on widowhood have changed since the publication of the book Widowhood in Later Life in 1991. Patterns of decline in widowhood in both its duration and incidence in later life are examined. Widowhood research has advanced conceptually by moving beyond understanding widowhood solely in terms of role loss. Life course perspectives, and concepts of multiple narratives and of resilience, have also contributed to the field. New methodologies, including prospective and longitudinal designs involving larger data sets, and more in-depth qualitative studies, have advanced our understanding of complexities and variations in widowhood. These include issues of gender and ethnocultural diversity, as well as the intersection of wealth, health, and class. This article also examines how patterns of labour force affiliation, social policy, and the changing nature of marriage shape widowhood in later life.

Late-life widowhood is associated with faster cognitive decline: The Cache County Study.

Late-life widowhood is associated with faster cognitive decline: The Cache County Study.

Late-life Widowhood and Meaning in Life

The relationship between elders’ marital status and length of widowhood, as well as other personal and familial resources and the sense of meaning in life, as defined by logotherapy, was tested among 180 Israeli elderly community dwellers aged 64–95. Results show that an event such as late-life widowhood can create a loss of the sense of meaning in life. In addition, a significant difference was found between married and recently widowed elders in relation to meaning in life. Other variables that affected and explained meaning in life were subjective health, education, the quality of social support relationships, and activity level. The results support Frankl’s logotherapy approach, underscoring the importance of helping older people in general, and the widowed elders in particular, to discover and create new life meanings.

Risk Tolerance and its Relation to Important Life Events

We study panel data on three birth-year cohorts to understand the changes in risk tolerance across different age groups. Interval regression models on cross-sectional data for each birth cohort are constructed to investigate how time-invariant factors and macroeconomic events such as September 11, 2001, might influence individuals' risk tolerance. Well-established maximum likelihood estimation procedure is followed to obtain a parametric distribution of logarithm of relative risk tolerance that is potentially subject to noise, and to assess how this distribution shifts with time. Finally, we conduct interval regressions on first difference models to capture the reasons for change in the risk tolerance in each cohort. The main differences in the results as compared to previous studies are that risk tolerance does decrease with age, but there is much more within-subject heterogeneity among younger individuals, and that income lowers risk tolerance among younger Americans, whereas wealth increases risk tolerance among older Americans. The risk tolerance of the oldest cohort is negatively affected by late-life marriage and widowhood, whereas risk tolerance increases with greater wealth, and somewhat due to retirement. An increase in family size through marriage and more children lowers the risk tolerance of the youngest cohort, whereas unemployment has a positive association with tolerance.

Psychological Response to Later Life Widowhood: Coping and the Effects of Gender

The study examined the effects of psychological response and gender on coping with late life widowhood. Forty-six men and 46 women (55 years +) were interviewed about their experiences of widowhood. Participants were classified as to whether they were coping well or less well. Data were analyzed using grounded theory, content analysis, and three-way loglinear analyses. Loglinear analyses revealed three-way interactions for Gender, Coping, and Response. Men who report feeling upset or selfish are more likely to be coping, as are women who report being comfortable alone. There were two-way interactions between Coping and Response and Gender and Response. Participants who talk to their dead spouse are more likely to be coping than those who do not. Those who “keep themselves to themselves” are more likely not to be coping than those who do not. Gender differences were found in psychological response. Differences were also found between those who coped and those who coped less well. The study has enabled the synthesis of quantitative and qualitative data to present a more complete view of late life widowhood than has previously been possible. In addition, the article draws attention to the importance of distinguishing between the effects of bereavement and those of widowhood.