Predictors of psychological reactions during the early stages of widowhood

Abstract

In conclusion, this preliminary study of 2-month outcome to spousal bereavement found (1) most widows and widowers had social supports and lack of such supports was not related to outcome; (2) a clinical depressive syndrome was common, and a history of past depressions was associated with poor outcome; (3) more subjects increased alcohol consumption and cigarette use after their loss than decreased their use, but a past history of problems with alcohol was not related to outcome; (4) female, younger, and poorer survivors had the worst outcomes; (5) more disturbed marital relationships correlated highly with poor outcomes; (6) when the deceased spouse died without warning and without a prolonged illness, the survivor was more apt to have a difficult adjustment; and (7) the continued presence of active grief was associated with increased levels of anxiety, somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, and depression. Finally, the results of the study show that self-rated overall adjustment is highly correlated with other, standardized psychometric scale scores as well as with grief-specific affects. Assessing global adjustment may, therefore, be a simple, time-efficient, yet meaningful area of inquiry in clinical situations. This is the first in a series of studies on this widowed population. Future reports will focus on other dimensions of widowhood, changes over long-term follow-up, and the validity and reliability of the Widowhood Questionnaire.