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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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The transition to widowhood and the social regulation of health
— consequences for health and health risk behavior | | Author(s) | Kristi Williams |
| Journal title | Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, vol 59B, no 6, November 2004 |
| Pages | pp S343-S349 |
| Source | http://www.geron.org |
| Keywords | Widows ; Bereavement ; Health [elderly] ; Ill health ; Longitudinal surveys ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | Analyses of data from the Detroit area of the Changing Lives of Older Couples Study (CLOC) tests two hypotheses. First, widowed individuals experience greater declines in health regulation over time than their married counterparts. Second, the extent to which widowhood undermines health and increases health risk behaviour depends on whether it is accompanied by a decline in health regulation. Compared with their continually married counterparts, those who are widowed report a significant decline in the frequency of health reminders and health assistance received from others. The decline in the frequency of health regulation has important consequences for health behaviour and health outcomes. Widowhood undermines health and increases health risk behaviours only when it is accompanied by a decline in health regulation. Widowed individuals who experience increases in health regulation show improvements in health and declines in health risk behaviour. Thus, interventions that are targeted at improving the health habits of those who are widowed, by mobilising health-related support systems, may be effective in minimising the negative health consequences of spousal loss. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-050217227 A |
| Classmark | SP: DW: CC: CH: 3J: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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