The Impact of Life Events on Networks of Personal Relationships: A Comparison of Widowhood and Caring for a Spouse with Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

This article investigates the effects of different life events on networks of personal relationships through a comparison of recent widows and caregivers of a spouse with Alzheimer's disease. In both cases, we collected qualitative data from focus groups and coded each mention of another person according to their relationship to the widow or caregiver and whether the person was mentioned positively, neutrally or negatively. The results show that there were notable differences between widows' networks of relationships and those of caregivers. Widows not only mentioned more people in their networks, but also mentioned these relationships in a more positive or a negative fashion, while caregivers made fewer mentions of other people and in a more neutral fashion. Comparing the effects of the two life events shows that widowhood generates changes that have impacts throughout the social network, while caregiving leads to a life that is centered on the intense demands of caring for the spouse. This difference suggests the importance of studying changes in relationships and networks across a broad range of life events. As individuals move through the life course, life events that create change are a certainty, and we need to learn how such changes affect social networks and personal relationships.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bass, D.M. & Bowman, K. (1990) `The Transition from Caregiving to Bereavement: The Relationship of Care-related Strain and Adjustment to Death', The Gerontologist 30: 35-42.

Blieszner, R. & Shifflett, P.A. (1990) `The Effects of Alzheimer's Disease on Close Relationships between Patients and Caregivers', Family Relations 39: 57-62.

Cohen, S. & McKay, G. (1984) `Social Support, Stress, and the Buffering Hypothesis: A Theoretical Analysis', in A. Baum , S.E. Taylor & J.E. Singer (eds) Handbook of Psychology and Health, Vol. 4, pp. 253-263. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Dura, J.S. & Kiecolt-Glaser, J.K. (1990) `Sample Bias in Caregiving Research', Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences 45: 200-204.

George, L. K. & Gwyther, L.P. (1986) `Caregiver Well-being: A Multidimensional Examination of Family Caregivers of Demented Adults', The Gerontologist 25: 253-259.

Hill, C.D. , Thompson, L.W. & Gallagher, D. (1988) `The Role of Anticipatory Bereavement in Older Women's Adjustment to Widowhood', The Gerontologist 28: 792-796.

Hobfoll, S.E. (1990) `Introduction: Predicting, Activating, and Facilitating Social Support', Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 7: 435-436.

House, J.S. (1981) Work Stress and Social Support. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley.

Jacobson, D.E. (1986) `Types and Timing of Social Support', Journal of Health and Social Behavior 27: 250-264.

10.

Krueger, R.A. (1988) Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

11.

Lehman, D.R. , Ellard, J.H. & Wortman, C.B. (1986) `Social Support for the Bereaved: Recipients' and Providers' Perspectives on What is Helpful', Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 54: 438-446.

12.

Morgan, D.L. (1988) Focus Groups as Qualitative Research, Sage University Paper series on Qualitative Research Methods, Vol. 16. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

13.

Morgan, D.L. (1989) `Adjustment to Widowhood: Do Social Networks Really Help?', The Gerontologist 29: 101-107.

14.

Morgan, D.L. (1990) `Combining the Strengths of Social Networks, Social Support, and Personal Relationships', in S.W. Duck (ed. with R.C. Silver) Personal Relationships and Social Support, pp. 190-215. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

15.

Morgan, D.L. (1992) `Designing Focus Groups', in M. Stewart , F. Tudiver , M. Bass , E. Dunn & P. Norton (eds) Tools for Primacy Care Research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

16.

Patton, M.Q. (1990) Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods, 2nd edn. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

17.

Pearlin, L.I. (1985) `Social Structures and Processes of Social Support', in S. Cohen & L. Syme (eds) Social Support and Health, pp. 43-60. New York: Academic Press.

18.

Schulz, R. & Tompkins, C.A. (1990) `Life Events and Changes in Social Relationships: Examples, Mechanisms, and Measurement', Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology 9: 69-77.

19.

Shifflett, P.A. & Blieszner, R. (1988) `Stigma and Alzheimer's Disease: Behavioral Consequences of Support Groups', The Journal of Applied Gerontology 7: 147-160.

20.

Starker, J.E. , Morgan, D.L. & March, S.J. (in press) `Analyzing Change in Networks of Personal Relationships', in W. Jones & D. Perlman (eds) Advances in Personal Relationships, Vol. 5. London: Jessica Kingsley.

21.

Stroebe, W. & Stroebe, M.S. (1987) Bereavement and Health: The Psychological and Physical Consequences of Partner Loss. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

22.

Tesch, R. (1990) Qualitative Research: Analysis Types and Software Tools. New York: Falmer Press.

23.

Thoits, P.A. (1983) `Dimensions of Life Events that Influence Psychological Distress: An Evaluation and Synthesis of the Literature', in H.B. Kaplan (ed.) Psychosocial Stress: Trends in Theory and Research, pp. 33-103. New York: Academic Press.

24.

Vachon, M.L. & Stylianos, S.K. (1988) `The Role of Social Support in Bereavement', Journal of Social Issues 44: 175-190.

25.

Zarit, S.H. , Todd, P.A. & Zarit, J.M. (1986) `Subjective Burden of Husbands and Wives as Caregivers: A Longitudinal Study', The Gerontologist 26: 260-266.