Depression is a common outcome of spousal bereavement Concurrent life events may contribute to the intensity of depression following spousal bereavement in older adults and, if not identified, may interfere with therapeutic plans for the management of depression. Taped interviews, conducted six times over two years, were analyzed for ten subjects, five whose depression scores were low, and fie whose scores were high. In addition, a detailed case comparison analysis of two subjects was done. Four recurring types of life events, reported by the bereaved spouses, were illness (of self or others), deaths of family or friends, residential relocation, and changes in interpersonal relationships. Significantly depressed spouses were more likely to report these events. Implications for nursing practice and for integrating qualitative and quantitative research methods are addressed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Beck, A. T.
, Ward, C., Mendelson, M., Mock, J., & Erbaugh, J. (1961). An inventory for measuring depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 4, 53-63.
2.
Bowiby, J.
(1969). Attachment and loss. New York: Basic Books.
3.
Brooke, V.
(1989). Process of adjusting to living in a nursing home. Geriatric Nursing, 10(2), 66-68.
4.
Caserta, M.
, Lund, D., & Dimond, M. (1985). Assessing interviewer effects in a longitudinal study of bereaved elderly adults. Journal of Gerontology, 40(5), 637-640.
5.
Dimond, M.
, Lund, D., & Caserta, M. (1987). The role of social support in the first two years of bereavement in an elderly sample. The Gerontologist, 27(5), 599-604.
6.
Dimond, M.
, McCance, K., & King, K. (1897). Forced residential relocation: Its impact on the well-being of older adults. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 9(4), 445-464.
7.
Duran, A.
, Turner, C., & Lund, D. (1989). Social support, perceived stress, and depression following the death of a spouse in later life. In D. Lund (Ed.), Older bereaved spouses: Research with practical applications (pp. 69-78). New York: Hemisphere.
8.
Farberow, N.
, Gallagher, D., Gilewski, M., & Thompson, L. (1987). An examination of the early impact of bereavement on psychological distress in survivors of suicide. The Gerontologist, 27(5), 592-598.
9.
Freud, S.
(1948). Mourning and melancholia. In S. Freud, Collected Papers (vol. 4, pp. 152-170). London: Hogarth. (Original work published 1917)
10.
Gallagher, D. E.
, Breckenridge, J. N., Thompson, L. W., & Peterson, J. A. (1983). Effects of bereavement on indicators of mental health in elderly widows and widowers. Journal of Gerontology, 38, 565-571.
11.
Gallagher-Thompson, D.
, Futterman, A., Farberow, N., Thompson, L., & Peterson, J. (1993). The impact of spousal bereavement on older widows and widowers. In M. Stroebe, W. Stroebe, & R. Hansson (Eds.), Handbook of bereavement: Theory, research and intervention (pp. 227-239). New York: Cambridge University Press.
12.
Glick, I. O.
, Weiss, R. S., & Parkes, C. M. (1974). The first year of bereavement. New York: Wiley.
13.
Kane, R. A.
, & Kane, R. L. (1981). Assessing the elderly: A practical guide to measurement. Lexington, MA: D. C. Heath.
14.
Kitchell, M. A.
, Barnes, R. F., Veith, R. V., Okinoto, J. T., & Raskind, M. A. (1982). Screening for depression in hospitalized geriatric medical patients. Journal of American Geriatric Society, 30, 174-177.
15.
Lund, D.
, Caserta, M., & Dimond, M. (1986). Gender differences through two years of bereavement among the elderly. The Gerontologist, 26(3), 314-320.
16.
Lund, D.
, Caserta, M., & Dimond, M. (1993). The course of spousal bereavement in later life. In M. Stroebe, W. Stroebe, & R. Hansson (Eds.), Handbook of bereavement Theory, research and intervention (pp. 240-254). New York: Cambridge University Press.
17.
Mangen, D. J.
, & Peterson, W. A. (Eds.) (1982). Clinical and social psychology: Research instruments in social gerontology (Vol. 1). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
18.
Osterweis, M.
, Solomon, F., & Green, M. (1984). Bereavement: Reactions, consequences and care. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
19.
Seidel, J.
, KJolseth, R., & Clark, A. (1985). The ethnograph (computer program). Littleton, CO: Qualls Research Associates.
20.
Sheikh, J. I.
, & Yesavage, J. A. (1986). Geriatric Depression Scale: Recent evidence and development of a shorter version. In T. L. Brink (Ed.), Clinical gerontology: A guide to assessment and intervention (pp. 165-174). New York: Haworth.
21.
Stroebe, M.
, Stroebe, W., & Hansson, J. (Eds.). (1993). Handbook of bereavement: Theory, research and intervention. New York: Cambridge University Press.
22.
Thompson, L.
, Futterman, A., & Gallagher, D. (1988). Assessment of late-life depression. Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 24(4), 577-586.
23.
Wortman, C.
, & Silver, R. (1989). The myths of coping with loss. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57(3), 349-357.
24.
Zung, W. K.
(1965). A self-rating depression scale. Archives of General Psychiatry, 12, 63-70.
