The effects of long-term and recent conjugal bereavement were investigated in a sample of 2,104 Swedish twins followed between 1984 and 1993. In co-twin-control analyses, the bereaved twin experienced significantly more depressive symptoms, more loneliness, and less life satisfaction than the married co-twin. This association existed for recently widowed (< 3 years) of both sexes. Long-term wid...

Objectives This study examined whether widowhood was associated with experiencing barriers to seeking health care in Uganda Methods Data from 8674 women aged between 15 and 49 years in the 2011 Uganda Demographic Health Survey, were analysed using multivariable logistic regression models. Results Compared to other women, widows were more likely to identify getting money for treatment and not wa...

Limited data are available on the possible changes in cancer risk brought about by widowhood and divorce, an increasing segment of the population. We calculated standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for cancer among 47,000 widows/widowers and 60,000 divorced people, based on the Swedish Family-Cancer Database. Persons had to be identified with the same civil status in the census of years 1960 an...

The study investigated the relationship between depressive feelings and coping amongst older widowed men and women. Participants were interviewed about their affective experiences of widowhood and completed two depression questionnaire assessments, the Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Scale (SAD) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Participants were assessed as either coping...

Research on widowhood mostly emphasizes negative outcomes, but some studies suggest widows are resilient. This study evaluated the in-depth daily experiences of older widows compared to married women. Participants included 75 widows and 125 married women from the National Study of Daily Experiences II, who completed daily diaries over 8 days. For long-term widows, there were no differences comp...

Set-point theory posits that individuals react to the experience of major life events, but quickly adapt back to pre-event baseline levels of subjective well-being in the years following the event. A large, nationally representative panel study of Swiss households was used to examine set-point theory by investigating the extent of adaptation following the experience of marriage, childbirth, wid...

A Swedish widowhood study revealed that four out of ten widows regarded the pre-loss period more stressful than the post-loss. The present investigation of close relatives to patients dying from cancer (using interviews and the Anticipatory Grief Scale) found that preparatory grief involves much emotional stress, as intense preoccupation with the dying, longing for his/her former personality, l...