Widow Research Articles

The portrayal of women in Jordanian proverbial expressions: A thematic analysis

Abstract Proverbial expressions are linguistic elements that represent the images and values of a society. This study examines the portrayal of women in Jordanian proverbial expressions. It attempts to answer the following question: How are women portrayed in Jordanian folk proverbs? To this end, seventy-eight Jordanian proverbs related to women were collected through interviews and from published folklore books. Employing thematic analysis, the data were classified into eight categories, namely, women as wives, unmarried women, women as mothers, women as daughters, widowed women, divorced women, women as relatives-in-law and women in general. The analysis also shows that women are represented both negatively and positively in all categories. However, the negative image of women depicted in the proverbs exceeds the positive one. Based on the conclusions, some future research was suggested.

Cancer research in vulnerable populations: A call for collaboration and sustainability from MENATC countries.

e13649 Background: Cancer is a major burden across the Middle East and North Africa including Turkey and Cyprus (MENATC). Many MENATC countries experience acute and chronic emergencies, including COVID-19 pandemic, disasters, political instability, fragility, as well as chronic conflict that result in cumulative vulnerability to the region. This study examines the current level and the potential for cancer research among vulnerable populations in the MENATC, including its challenges, and gaps. Furthermore, it tries to ascertain cancer practitioners’ views on what defines vulnerability in the MENATC. Methods: Recurrent expert-driven meetings were held to conceptualize the study approach and highlight the barriers to conducting clinical cancer research among vulnerable populations in the MENATC. A self-administered online survey questionnaire was circulated to over 500 cancer practitioners in twenty-three MENATC countries. The survey covered: Demographic and general information, Clinical practice, Research capacity, Vulnerable populations, and logistics. Results: Half of the respondents considered clinical research in vulnerable cancer patients a key concern, while 24.5% did not. Out of the total respondents, 21.8% had worked on research that explicitly included vulnerable populations. About 60% of respondents reported seeing vulnerable populations during their daily practice. Lack of funding (60%), lack of protected time (42%), and lack of research training (35%) were the top three main reasons for research scarcity and major research challenges. Over half of the respondents agreed that recent wars/conflicts worsened the conditions for vulnerable populations. The top five ranked vulnerability groups were geriatric, terminally ill, mental health-related, chronically ill, and socioeconomically deprived patients, while the lower five ranked groups were LGBTQ+ community, veterans, divorced individuals or widowed women, prisoners, and ethnic minorities patients. Conclusions: This is the first study in the MENATC region to look at the status of and potential for research among vulnerable populations. The study highlights the challenges faced by cancer practitioners in the MENATC in research, especially among vulnerable populations. We believe that these limitations in research will negatively impact the outcomes for vulnerable communities in the region. Lack of research funding and training of cancer practitioners in the MENATC are major factors negatively affecting cancer outcomes which could lead to health improvement failure. Geopolitical, economic, and cultural differences clearly define the most vulnerable populations in cancer research. Addressing cancer disparities in the MENATC is a complex and pressing issue. By working together and providing the necessary resources, we can improve cancer research outcomes for the most vulnerable populations in the region.

A study of prevalence and comparison of anxiety and depression among separated, divorced and widowed females in the rural population

Abstract Background: Psychological distress is an important immediate outcome of the death of a spouse or divorce, which may arise because of financial and emotional challenges and can lead to adverse health outcomes with more stress, anxiety, depression, and social isolation than the general population. Methods: Cross-sectional study among separated, divorced, and widowed females from two rural villages. All eligible participants were screened for depression and anxiety using DSM 5 criteria. The severity of depression was assessed using the Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS) and for anxiety, the Hamilton anxiety scale (HAM-A) was used. Results: Out of 162 women, 30% had mild depression whereas 42% of widow and divorced women had moderate levels of depression but it is in 50% of separated women. Severe and very severe level of depression was in around 20% of widowed and divorced women compared to 16% of separated women. There was no anxiety in around 80% of divorced and widowed women whereas 24.3% of separated women had severe anxiety. On regression analysis, separated women, dependent women, and those with less than two years of duration of separation had higher levels of depression and anxiety. Conclusion: The prevalence of Depression and Anxiety is more common in all three groups. Moderate to severe Depression is around 75% among divorced/separated and widowed females but moderate to severe anxiety was more in separated women compared to widowed women. Dependency and the early phase of widowhood/separation were also important associated factors.

A Qualitative Study on Prolonged Grief for the Loss of Spouse in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring Lived Experience

Background: Millions of people's lives, as well as their physical and mental health, were put in jeopardy when COVID-19 emerged. The pandemic resulted in a high death rate. Health protocols prevented the bereaved from attending the funeral. As a result, many people faced unfinished mourning. This study was conducted with the aim of identifying the meaning of mourning and the strategies used by bereaved spouses Methods: The research method was qualitative and based on descriptive phenomenological strategy. Among the bereaved people who met the criteria to enter the research, 15 people were selected using the purposeful sampling method and using semi-structured interviews until saturation was reached. The data were coded using the Colaizi method and finally the results were analyzed using the Max Quda software. Results: After extracting the research findings in the form of 460 concepts, 27subcategories, and 9 main categories, they were represented as an educational package. Major themes were the obligation to hold mourning, social feedback from others, gradual healing, the experience of widowhood, existential emptiness, psychological collapse, the progressive repercussions of widowhood, and comprehensive self-talk about complicated pathological effects of death and mourning Conclusion: Considering Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the lack of mourning for the loss of a spouse, health care practitioners must address these women's psychological and social needs. Thus, knowing these problems can assist health care workers and bereaved women's families in minimizing the psychological challenges of acute sorrow.

Social networks as a predictor of cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality: 10-year observation of the Polish HAPIEE cohort

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): National Sciene Center of Poland The inverse association between social isolation or low social support and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is known but the evidence comes mainly form countries of stable high socio-economic development while research from populations of different social backgrounds remains scarce. Societies of Central and Eastern Europe which underwent profound socio-economic changes followed by the decrease in CVD mortality provide an interesting setting for a study of social determinants of health. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between social networks and CVD incidence and mortality in Polish urban population. Additionally predictive performance of social networks index was compared with marital status alone. A cohort study with 10-year follow-up was conducted. A random sample of 10,728 residents of our city, aged 45 to 69 was examined. Social networks were assessed at baseline using questions on marital status, participation in groups and organizations as well as the number of friends and relatives with whom participants maintained contact. Points in individual categories were summed up and an index ranging from 0-4 was obtained where higher values meant bigger social networks. Information on new CVD cases was obtained from questionnaires in subsequent phases of the study and confirmed by the review of clinical records. Data on deaths and causes was obtained from the residents’ registry, Central Statistical Office, and participants’ families. The effect of social networks index as well as marital status on the risk of CVD was assessed using Cox proportional hazard models. The observation for incidence included 3,289 men and 3,673 women, respectively (384 and 175 new CVD cases). For CVD mortality 3,595 men and 3,939 women with 156 and 95 CVD deaths were included, respectively. In fully adjusted models no significant associations between social network index and CVD incidence were found. However, marital status was a significant predictor of CVD incidence in men; compared to single or widowed men those married or cohabiting had lower risk of CVD event by 33% (HR=0.67 95%CI=0.49-0.91). Protective effect of bigger social networks against CVD mortality with dose-response effect was observed in men only. Compared to men with the lowest social network index, any increase in the index was related with reduced risk of CVD mortality up to 86% in men with the highest social networks index (HR=0.14 95%CI=0.03-0.62). Lower risk of CVD death was also observed in married or cohabiting men compared to single or widowed participants (HR=0.40 95%CI=0.26-0.61). No significant differences in risk prediction was found between social index and marital status alone. In conclusion, maintaining social networks in middle-aged and older men from the urban population is protective against CVD mortality. However, social network index including information on social participation was not a better predictor of CVD risk than information on marital status alone.

Aspects of the Badaun's social life during the time period (602-1014 A.H.)

Objectives: The study aims to clarify some aspects of social life in the city of Badaun, as it represented an important aspect of the city's civilized history. With its customs and traditions, because its population is divided between Muslims and Hindus, and each has its own customs and traditions.Methodology: The methodology used in our study is to rely on all the available historical and literary sources, Arabic, Persian, Urdu and English, which requires following the historical approach and focusing on the descriptive and analytical aspects. Hindu and Islamic traditions. The second axis included the custom of sati, which pertains to Indian women, as the people of India used to apply it to widowed women by burning them in order to save them from the shame that might befall them, while the third axis included marriage ceremonies and polygamy. And the fables of BadaunConclusion: The community was in Badaun with double customs due to the diversity of its population between Muslims and Hindus, so what is permissible for the Hindus is the habit of Sati to burn women, burn the dead, marry young girls, and special ceremonies and rituals for newborns were forbidden to Muslims and some Muslim sultans tried to limit Hindu customs by enacting laws to prevent them, such as Sultan Jalal al-Din Bigger, but did not succeed in reducing them completely.

Single women’s access to egg freezing in mainland China: an ethicolegal analysis

In the name of safeguarding public interests and ethical principles, China’s National Health Commission bans unmarried women from using assisted reproductive technology (ART), including egg freezing. Supported by local governments,...

Resilience to stress across the lifespan: Childhood maltreatment, heart rate variability, and bereavement.

Following a stressful life event, there is considerable variation in how individuals respond and adapt. Multiple models of risk and resilience show that adverse childhood experiences may be associated with an individual's response to stress later in life. While there is considerable support that early adversity can sensitize the stress response system and lead to adverse outcomes later in life, there is mounting evidence that in adolescence and young adulthood, certain biological predispositions to stress may be associated with resilience in the context of subsequent stressors. In this study, we evaluated how individual differences in vagally mediated heart rate variability moderated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and grief among a sample of individuals experiencing a stressful life event (i.e., spousal bereavement) over time. Data were collected at approximately 3, 4.5, and 6.5 months after the death of a spouse (n = 130). Heart rate variability moderated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and grief symptoms over time (b = -0.03, p < .001), such that among individuals with more severe experiences of childhood maltreatment, those with higher heart rate variability had a faster recovery from grief than those with low heart rate variability. This research highlights an overall pattern of resilience among older adult's following spousal bereavement, as well as the relationships between childhood maltreatment, heart rate variability, and differential responses to grief following the loss of a spouse. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

الأمن النفسي والوحدة النفسية لدى النساء (الأرامل والمطلقات): دراسة مقارنة

Study aimed to reveal psychological security and its relationship to psychological loneliness of widows and divorced, according to variables (housing pattern, work, age). To achieve study objectives, scale developed to measure psychological security and psychological lonelines, study sample consisted (300) widows (200) divorced, who chosen by available method. Study results showed: there are differences on psychological security scale due to work variable (for widows, divorced), in favor of working women, and differences due to housing patterns, in favor of widows with independent housing. results showed: there were differences on psychological loneliness scale due to work variable, in favor of non-working (widows, divorced women), and differences due to age variable of widows woman, in favor of same age group (25-44). And there is inverse relationship between psychological security and psychological loneliness. study recommended preparing more educational programs to alleviate psychological loneliness. هدفت الدراسة إلى الكشف عن الأمن النفسي وعلاقته بالوحدة النفسية لدى الأرامل والمطلقات تبعا لمتغيرات (نمط السكن، العمل، العمر)، ولتحقيق أهداف الدراسة تم تطوير مقياس لقياس الأمن النفسي ومقياس لقياس الوحدة النفسية. تكونت عينة الدراسة من (300) أرملة، و(200) مطلقة، تم اختيارهن بالطريقة المتيسرة. أظهرت نتائج الدراسة أن هناك فروق على مقياس الأمن النفسي تعزى إلى متغير العمل (للأرامل والمطلقات)، وذلك لصالح المرأة العاملة وفروق تعزى لنمط السكن، وذلك لصالح الأرملة ذات السكن المستقل. وأظهرت النتائج أن هناك فروقاً على مقياس الوحدة النفسية تعزى الى متغير العمل، وذلك لصالح (الأرامل والمطلقات) غير العاملات، وفروقاً تعزى إلى متغير العمر للمرأة الأرملة، وذلك لصالح ذات الفئة العمرية (25-44). وأن هناك علاقة عكسية بين الأمن النفسي والوحدة النفسية. وأوصت الدراسة بإعداد مزيد من البرامج التثقيفية للتخفيف من الوحدة النفسية.

Understanding levels of morbidity, disease pattern, and hospitalization among widowed women in west bengal, india

Understanding levels of morbidity, disease pattern, and hospitalization among widowed women in west bengal, india

THE WOMEN'S RIGHTS POST-DIVORCE: ASSESING THE ROLES OF RELIGIOUS COUNSELORS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS IN PAREPARE

This study focuses on three issues: the description of the fulfillment of post-divorce women's rights in Parepare City, the role of religious counselors in socializing post-divorce women's rights in Parepare City, and the role of community leaders in educating the public about the fulfillment of post-divorce women's rights in Parepare City. This is qualitative research with a normative legal orientation. Research findings indicate a Summary of fulfillment rights Post-divorce women in Parepare City have not obtained their maximum entitlements. This is evidenced by the fact that several divorced and widowed women who have been divorced by their spouses still have not fully acquired their rights. The absence of counseling materials related to post-divorce women's rights issues indicates that the function of religious instructors in socializing post-divorce women's rights in Parepare City has not been carried out effectively. In Parepare City, the role of community leaders in educating the community about women's rights post-divorce has been fulfilled; however, the provision of material related to women's rights post-divorce was not made explicit and the syllabus was not systematically compiled. Although, within the jurisdiction of the Parepare Religious Court, judges ex officio have conferred women's rights after a divorce, the judge's decision is considered null and void because judges do not have the authority to carry out their decisions in the Religious Courts.

Abstract 3011: Psychosocial stress, social support, and incident breast cancer by estrogen receptor status

Abstract Introduction: Chronic stress affects immune function and hormonal signaling and has been hypothesized to be associated with breast cancer, although results from the few prior studies are mixed and have not examined potential differences by estrogen receptor (ER) status. We investigated the relationship between stressful life events and incident breast cancer by ER status among postmenopausal women. We further evaluated whether this association is modified by social support. Methods: Our analysis included 76,951 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative. Participants were followed for events for up to 26 years (median, 16.7). We generated Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for demographic, clinical, lifestyle/behavioral, and social factors to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) for associations between baseline self-reported stressful life events and incident breast cancer by ER status. Results: The mean age was 63 (SD 7.3), and majority of participants were White race (83.5%) and married or in a marriage-like relationship (63.0%). In analyses stratified by ER status, there was no relationship between stressful life events and ER-positive breast cancer. In contrast, compared to women in the lowest quartile, those in higher quartiles had an increased risk of ER-negative breast cancer, where those in quartile 4 had the highest risk (Quartile 4 vs Quartile 1; HR=1.30; 95%CI 1.01-1.68; Ptrend=0.050). Additionally, associations were stronger for the highest versus lowest quartile of stressful life events among widowed women (HR=2.39; 95%CI 1.29-4.44; Pinteraction&amp;lt;0.001). Moreover, while the interaction was not statistically significant, we observed an elevated risk for ER-negative breast cancer among women in the highest quartile of stressful life events reporting lower social support. Conclusion: In this cohort of postmenopausal women, higher experiences of pre-diagnostic stressful life events were associated with increased risk of ER-negative breast cancer. Citation Format: Wayne R. Lawrence, Jasmine A. McDonald, Faustine Williams, Meredith S. Shiels, Neal D. Freedman, Ziqiang Lin, Jared W. Magnani. Psychosocial stress, social support, and incident breast cancer by estrogen receptor status [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 3011.

Widowhood, social networks, and mental health among Chinese older adults: The moderating effects of gender.

This study aimed to examine the three-way interaction between widowhood, social ties, and gender and its effects on older adults' mental health, including depressive symptoms and life satisfaction, in the context of China. Participants were 7,601 Chinese older adults. Their social network was divided between family and friendship ties, and their mental health was measured by depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Linear regression was employed to analyze the associations between widowhood, social networks, and mental health, as well as to explore the moderating effect of gender. Widowhood is associated with more depressive symptoms, but not with life satisfaction, while family and friendship ties are associated with less depressive symptoms and greater life satisfaction. Furthermore, the lack of family ties is associated with more depressive symptoms for widowed men compared to married older men, while it is associated with lower life satisfaction for widowed women compared to married older women. Family ties are the most important social support resource for Chinese older adults, especially for the widowed group. The vulnerability of older widowed men who lack family ties in China deserves public concern and attention.

The Lived Experiences of Spousal Bereavement and Adjustment Among Older Chinese Immigrants in Calgary

Spousal bereavement poses considerable challenges to adults in late life. Some populations, such as older immigrants, may experience heightened negative outcomes as a consequence of spousal bereavement, due to migratory stress and social isolation. Spousal bereavement is culturally embedded as it is related to cultural beliefs and attitudes concerning death and family relationships. However, studies on spousal bereavement or widowhood among older immigrants are extremely limited. This study aims to fill the gap by exploring, via a phenomenological approach, the lived experiences of widowed older Chinese immigrants in Calgary and responding to the question: What are the lived experiences of widowed Chinese older immigrants in coping with their spousal bereavement? With the data drawn from 12 in-depth qualitative interviews, findings were categorized into individual, family, community and societal levels. Study participants experienced long-lasting grief that was private and impacted by their culture and immigration status. Although family and ethno-cultural communities provided various types of supports during participants’ widowhood, they did not directly assist them in coping with spousal loss. Most participants did not access social services for bereavement support, more often relying on cultural rituals and faith practices. Findings suggest the need for culturally appropriate bereavement supports and family/community involvement for older immigrant adults who have experienced spousal loss.

MP30-13 EFFECTS OF MARRIAGE AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH ON TOTAL TESTOSTERONE LEVEL

You have accessJournal of UrologyCME1 Apr 2023MP30-13 EFFECTS OF MARRIAGE AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH ON TOTAL TESTOSTERONE LEVEL William Shyr, Jonathan Davilla, and Darius Paduch William ShyrWilliam Shyr More articles by this author , Jonathan DavillaJonathan Davilla More articles by this author , and Darius PaduchDarius Paduch More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000003258.13AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Effects of social determinants of health (SDOH) on male reproductive health are poorly understood, but they play an important role in cardiovascular health in men. In this study, we wanted to answer if marital status, education, and income, in addition to biological factors, affect total testosterone (TT) levels. METHODS: Data from the 2013-2016 NHANES survey were included. TT was measured using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry certified by CDC. Subjects 18-79 years old were evaluated in the study. The effect of marital status, the ratio of family income to poverty (PIR), education level, current use of tobacco, presence of diabetes mellitus (DM), coronary artery disease (CAD), hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, age, and body mass index (BMI) on TT were evaluated using multivariate and univariate analysis. The living with a partner group included men living with a partner or married; the single group included widowed, divorced, separated, or never-married men. TT levels are reported as mean values. P-value <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Data from 4,224 men were included. Men living with a partner had significantly lower TT (400 ng/dL) than single men (470 ng/dL) (p<0.0001). Men with at least a college degree had lower TT (415 ng/dL) compared to men without a high school diploma (438 n/dL) (p=0.04). Men aged 18-79 with income below the median PIR (3.09) had higher TT (p=0.009; univariate model). Older men (60-70 yo) with the lowest income (PIR<1) had lower TT (383 ng/dL) than men with higher income (417 ng/dL) (p=0.048). In the multivariate analysis, cohabitation had the largest negative effect size on TT (p<0.001) compared to that of BMI (p<0.001), DM (p=0.02), and hypercholesterolemia (p<0.001), but the effect of education and PIR was not significant. Current smokers had higher TT than never-smokers (p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: SDOH was a significant predictor of TT. Married men, men with at least a college education, or men with higher income had significantly lower TT levels. Epidemiological and biological factors of our findings have to be further investigated; a sedentary lifestyle, diet, and neurobiological changes related to cohabitation may be possible explanations. Maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle for all, especially married men, is important to sustain optimal TT. Source of Funding: Fracchia Research Scholarship © 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 209Issue Supplement 4April 2023Page: e395 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information William Shyr More articles by this author Jonathan Davilla More articles by this author Darius Paduch More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

The aftermath of the Syrian crisis: a glimpse of the challenging life of widowed and divorced refugee women in Jordan

Purpose This study aims to address the social, cultural, financial and psychological obstacles these women face in preserving their living arrangements and in parenting as well as the coping mechanisms women adopt to overcome everyday challenges. Researchers used qualitative methodology and interviews to fulfill the aims. Design/methodology/approach Researchers used qualitative methodology and interviews to fulfill the aims. The sample consists of 20 Syrians living in Jordan’s Amman, Irbid and Al Ramtha in specially designed compounds for them (14 widows and 6 divorcees). Findings This study’s findings demonstrate that social and cultural norms existing in Jordan and Syria are generally similar, in which women view the males in the family as a source of socioeconomic and emotional stability for them. Widows and divorcees face serious sociocultural, financial and psychological challenges in maintaining their living conditions and the integration process as well as performing single parenting. Faith and social connections represent an important part of coping with the situation in the short term; nevertheless, financial and psychological support seems a vital component in the long term. Research on the conditions of widows and divorcees provides evidence to comprehensively approach the issue of “vulnerabilities” in the humanitarian-policy programming targeting refugees. Theoretically, the findings may provide empirical insights for discussions around women’s changing identities through displacement, agency and empowerment in relation to parenting experiences. Originality/value The lived experience of widowhood and divorce among Syrian is understudied, while their resilience strategies are less known. To fill these gaps, this study focuses on Syrian refugee widows and divorcees who are raising their children in specially designated compounds in Jordan and the difficulties they face on social, economic and emotional levels. Besides its originality in providing empirical material about challenges Syrian women faced, our study contributes to better understand women's claims for agency and empowerment as a part of identity changes.

‘EXHAUSTION --- APPARENT ON MY FACE’1: FICTIONALIZATION, GRAPHIC HISTORIOGRAPHY AND DATA VISUALIZATION OF WOMEN’S EXCLUSION IN VIDYUN SABHANEY AND SHOHEI EMURA’S ‘HARD TIMES’

Deviating from commonplace comicbook superheroisms, recent comicbook graphic narrations of historical and statistical data promise to produce a humanization and visualization that apart from informing the audience about social realities of past and present manage also to stimulate an aesthetic response and emotionally attached sensitization. Based on statistical data provided in Indian Exclusion Report, 2015, ‘Hard Times’ by Vidyun Sabhaney and Shohei Emura is a comic that utilizes graphic language in order to voice concerns about struggles of working-class women and their exclusions. While it directly presents a literary and fictional narrative involving a young, widowed woman forced to work in the garments’ factory in the city and the challenges she faces in her workplace, it acts as a prologue to a graphic historical survey and data visualization of the general condition of women at workplaces and their position in the society at large. The present paper is a study of the ideologies and visual stylistics of graphic history and data visualization available in the fictional narrative in ‘Hard Times’ directed towards an attempt at identifying the processes of de-elitization of the comicbook narration and its ability to visualize multiple layers of personal and public history, historical and statistical data, the women’s spoken, unspoken, marginalized and unspeakable experiences, which often deviate from officially, academically and alphabetically mediated histories and statistics.

Sex differences in health care expenditures and mortality after spousal bereavement: A register-based Danish cohort study.

Spousal bereavement is a life event that affects older people differently. We investigated the impact of spousal bereavement on medical expenditures and mortality in the general population, emphasizing on age and sex. Data are from a population-based, retrospective cohort study following 924,958 Danish citizens over the age of 65 years, within 2011-2016. Changes in health care expenditures in those who suffer bereavement were compared with time matched changes among those who did not. Mortality hazards were analysed with time to event analysis. A total of 77,722 (~8.4%) individuals experienced bereavement, 65.8% being females. Among males, bereavement was associated with increase of expenditures the year after, that was 42 Euros per week (95% CI, 36 to 48) larger than the non-bereaved group. The corresponding increase for females was 35 Euros per week (95% CI, 30 to 40). The increase of mortality hazards was highest in the first year after bereavement, higher in males than females, in young old and almost absent in the oldest old. Compared with the reference, mortality the year after spousal loss was 70% higher (HR 1.70 [95% CI 1.40 to 2.08]) for males aged 65-69 years and remained elevated for a period of six years. Mortality for females aged 65-69 years was 27% higher in the first year (HR 1.27, [1.07 to 1.52]), normalizing thereafter. Bereavement affects older people differently with younger males being most frail with limited recovery potential.

Meaning-making following loss among bereaved spouses during the COVID-19 pandemic (the CO-LIVE study)

This study investigates how individuals construe, understand, and make sense of experiences during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with bereaved spouses focusing on meaning attribution to the death of their partner. The interviewees were lacking adequate information, personalized care, and physical or emotional proximity; these challenges complicated their experience of a meaningful death of their partner. Concomitantly, many interviewees appreciated the exchange of experiences with others and any last moments together with their partner. Bereaved spouses actively sought valuable moments, during and after bereavement, that contributed to the perceived meaning.

Predictors of depression among Syrian refugee women: A socio-culturally relevant analysis.

Syrian refugee women have faced myriad adversities as they have navigated the realities of war, increasing the risk for mental health concerns such as depressive symptomatology. This study explores the nuances of relevant sociocultural factors that can contribute to depressive symptomatology among widowed Syrian refugee women who live in an institutionalized care setting. We explored the impact of past trauma exposure, perceived independence, and a desire to leave the current place of displacement and the interplay between them. The PCRF Traumatic Events Questionnaire and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were administered to 57 Syrian refugee women in Lebanon (Mage = 37; M number of children = 3) to measure levels of trauma exposure and depressive symptoms, respectively. Perceived independence and a desire to leave their current place of residence were measured using 1-item measures. Using hierarchical regression models, past trauma exposure (B = 1.51, p = .002) and perceived independence (B = 0.33, p = .04) significantly predicted depressive symptoms. A desire to travel (B = 0.84, p = .07) marginally predicted depressive symptoms. Past trauma exposure attenuated the impact of perceived independence on depressive symptoms such that at lower levels of past trauma exposure, higher perceptions of independence predicted higher depression (simple slope = 0.29, t = 2.13, p = .05), while at higher levels of past trauma higher perceptions of independence predicted lower depressive symptoms (simple slope = -0.16, t = -2.21, p = .04). Trauma exposure did not moderate the impact of a desire to leave on depression, but age did. These findings suggest that sociocultural factors may influence women's experiences with depressive symptoms differently, and this heterogeneity must be accounted for when treatment programs are proposed. Further, Syrian refugee women who have lost primary family members may pose different profiles of depressive symptoms than other groups of women.