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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Predictors of psychological adjustment after bereavement | | Author(s) | Simone Onrust, Pim Cuijpers, Filip Smit |
| Journal title | International Psychogeriatrics, vol 19, no 5, October 2007 |
| Pages | pp 921-934 |
| Source | http://journals.cambridge.org/jid_IPG |
| Keywords | Bereavement ; Depression ; Adjustment ; Cross sectional surveys ; Longitudinal surveys ; Netherlands. |
| Annotation | The impact of spousal bereavement on mental health varies among the widowed. This study is part of a longitudinal study on the effects of a visiting service for older widowed individuals who had lost their spouse between 6 and 9 months earlier in 18 municipalities in the Netherlands. Initial non-response was high, with only 8% of all approached participating in the study. The influences of demographic and psychosocial predictors on four general outcome measures (depression, anxiety, somatisation, and quality of life) and one loss-related outcome (complicated grief) was studied by means of backward linear regression analysis. Further analyses were conducted to explore the possibility of a buffer effect. Depressive symptomatology was best predicted by age, duration of widowhood, perceived non-supportiveness, physical disorders, and anxiety. The other outcome measures were predicted by the same predictors supplemented by gender and education. Mastery interacted with the number of physical disorders, while perceived social support interacted with duration of widowhood and age. Enhancement of mastery should probably be one of the components of effective support for widowed individuals most vulnerable to psychiatric complications. The widowed could furthermore benefit from social support. Obviously, these suggestions need to be further examined in longitudinal research with more representative samples. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-071114204 A |
| Classmark | DW: ENR: DR: 3KB: 3J: 76H |
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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