Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T19:06:14.006Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Examining the 16-year trajectories of mental health and wellbeing through the transition into widowhood

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2015

R. A. Burns ,
C. J. Browning  and
H. L. Kendig
R. A. Burns*
Affiliation:
Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
C. J. Browning
Affiliation:
School of Primary Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
H. L. Kendig
Affiliation:
Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr R. A. Burns, Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, The Australian National University, Building 62A, Eggleston Road, Canberra 0200, ACT, Australia. Phone: +61-02-6125-3123; Fax: +61-02-6125-0733. Email: [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background:

Becoming widowed is a significant event. There is considerable evidence that surviving partners report substantial changes in their wellbeing and mental health. Changes can occur prior to partner's death as an anticipatory effect and consequently during the period after partner's death. For most, declines in wellbeing and mental health dissipate over time. However, there is a limited long-term evidence to compare age-normative trajectories in mental health and wellbeing with the trajectories of those who transition into widowhood.

Methods:

Participants (n = 652) were older adults (aged 65–94 years at baseline) from the 16-year Melbourne Longitudinal Studies on Healthy Ageing project who were either married or de facto (n = 577), or recently widowed (n = 75). Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) examined the immediate and long-term impact of widowhood. GEE piecewise regression analyses examined the trajectories of wellbeing and mental health in those who transitioned into widowed with time centered at time of partner's death. Analyses were stratified by gender.

Results:

For both men and women, becoming widowed was strongly related to a strong decline in positive affect post partner's death. Otherwise, no long-term impact of widowhood on negative affect or depressive symptomology was reported.

Conclusions:

The impact of widowhood reports differential impacts on different indicators of wellbeing and mental health, which were inconsistent between men and women.

Keywords

wellbeingdepressionbereavementlongitudinal studies
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 27 , Issue 12 , December 2015 , pp. 1979 - 1986
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Angel, J. L., Jimenez, M. A. and Angel, R. J. (2007). The economic consequences of widowhood for older minority women. Gerontologist, 47, 224–234.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bonanno, G. A. et al. (2002). Resilience to loss and chronic grief: a prospective study from preloss to 18-monthspostloss. Journal of Personality, 83, 1150–1164.Google Scholar
Browning, C. J. and Kendig, H. (2010). Cohort profile: the Melbourne longitudinal studies on healthy ageing program. International Journal of Epidemiology, 39, E1–E7. doi:10.1093/Ije/Dyq137.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burns, R. A., Butterworth, P., Luszcz, M. and Anstey, K. J. (2013a). Stability and change in level of probable depression and depressive symptoms in a sample of middle and older-aged adults. International Psychogeriatrics, 25, 303–309. doi:10.1017/S1041610212001470.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burns, R. A., Byles, J., Magliano, D. J., Mitchell, P. and Anstey, K. J. (2015). The utility of estimating population-level trajectories of terminal wellbeing decline within a growth mixture modelling framework. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 50, 479–487. doi:10.1007/s00127-014-0948-3.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burns, R. A., Mitchell, P., Shaw, J. and Anstey, K. (2014b). Trajectories of terminal decline in the wellbeing of older women: the DYNOPTA project. Psychology and Aging, 29, 44–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burns, R. A., Sargent-Cox, K., Mitchell, P. and Anstey, K. J. (2014c). An examination of the effects of intra and inter-individual changes in wellbeing and mental health on self-rated health in a population study of middle- and older-aged adults. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 49, 1849–1858. doi:10-1007/s00127-014-0864-6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burns, R. A. et al. (2013b). Gender differences in the trajectories of late-life depressive symptomology and probable depression in the years prior to death. International Psychogeriatrics, 25, 1765–1773. doi:10.1017/S1041610213001099.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burns, R. A. et al. (2014a). Examination of the association between mental health, morbidity, and mortality in late life: findings from longitudinal community surveys. International Psychogeriatrics, 1–8. doi:10.1017/S1041610214002051.Google ScholarPubMed
Carr, D. S. (2004). Black/white differences in psychological adjustment to spousal loss among older adults. Research on Aging, 26, 591–622. doi:10.1177/0164027504268495.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carr, D., House, J. S., Kessler, R. C., Nesse, R. M., Sonnega, J. and Wortman, C. (2000). Marital quality and psychological adjustment to widowhood among older adults: a longitudinal analysis. Journals of Gerontology Series B – Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 55, S197–S207.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chou, K. L. and Chi, I. (2000). Stressful events and depressive symptoms among old women and men: a longitudinal study. International Journal of Aging & Human Development, 51, 275–293.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Deleon, C. F. M., Kasl, S. V. and Jacobs, S. (1994). A prospective study of widowhood and changes in symptoms of depression in a community sample of the elderly. Psychological Medicine, 24, 613–624.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gerstorf, D. et al. (2010). Late-life decline in well-being across adulthood in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States: something is seriously wrong at the end of life. Psychology and Aging, 25, 477–485. doi:10.1037/a0017543.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harlow, S. D., Goldberg, E. L. and Comstock, G. W. (1991). A longitudinal-study of the prevalence of depressive symptomatology in elderly widowed and married-women. Archives of General Psychiatry, 48, 1065–1068.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Huppert, F. A. et al. (2009). Measuring well-being across Europe: description of the ESS wellbeing module and preliminary findings. Social Indicators Research, 91, 301–315. doi:10.1007/s11205-008-9346-0.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jorm, A. F. et al. (1995). The Psychogeriatric Assessment Scales: a multi-dimensional alternative to categorical diagnoses of dementia and depression in the elderly. Psychological Medicine, 25, 447–460.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kendig, H., Browning, C. J., Thomas, S. A. and Wells, Y. (2014). Health, lifestyle, and gender influences on aging well: an Australian longitudinal analysis to guide health promotion. Front Public Health, 2, 70. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2014.00070.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kendig, H., Helme, R., Teshuva, K., Osborne, D., Flicker, L. and Browning, C. (1996). Health Status of Older People Project: Preliminary Findings of a Survey of the Health and Lifestyles of Older Australians. Melbourne, Australia: Victorian Health Promotion Foundation.Google Scholar
Lawton, M. P., Kleban, M. H., Dean, J., Rajagopal, D. and Parmelee, P. A. (1992). The factorial generality of brief positive and negative affect measures. Journal of Gerontology, 47, P228–P237.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lee, G. R. and DeMaris, A. (2007). Widowhood, gender, and depression – a longitudinal analysis. Research on Aging, 29, 56–72. doi:10.1177/0164027506294098.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, G. R., DeMaris, A., Bavin, S. and Sullivan, R. (2001). Gender differences in the depressive effect of widowhood in later life. Journals of Gerontology B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 56, S56–S61.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lichtenstein, P., Gatz, M., Pedersen, N. L., Berg, S. and McClearn, G. E. (1996). A co-twin-control study of response to widowhood. Journals of Gerontology B – Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 51, P279–P289.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marks, N. F. and Lambert, J. D. (1998). Marital status continuity and change among young and midlife adults – longitudinal effects on psychological well-being. Journal of Family Issues, 19, 652–686. doi:10.1177/019251398019006001.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moon, J. R., Kondo, N., Glymour, M. M. and Subramanian, S. V. (2011). Widowhood and mortality: a meta-analysis. PLoS ONE, 6, e23465. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0023465.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murrell, S. A. and Himmelfarb, S. (1989). Effects of attachment bereavement and pre-event conditions on subsequent depressive symptoms in older adults. Psychology and Aging, 4, 166–172.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ryan, R. M. and Deci, E. L. (2001). On happiness and human potentials: a review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 141–166.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 1069–1081.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sasson, I. and Umberson, D. J. (2014). Widowhood and depression: new light on gender differences, selection, and psychological adjustment. Journals of Gerontology B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 69, 135–145. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbt058.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sonnenberg, C. M., Beekman, A. T., Deeg, D. J. and van Tilburg, W. (2000). Sex differences in late-life depression. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 101, 286–292.Google ScholarPubMed
van Grootheest, D. S., Beekman, A. T., Broese van Groenou, M. I. and Deeg, D. J. (1999). Sex differences in depression after widowhood. Do men suffer more? Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 34, 391–398.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wells, Y. D. and Kendig, H. L. (1997). Health and well-being of spouse caregivers and the widowed. Gerontologist, 37, 666–674.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed