Affiliation, separation, and communication were the constructs chosen to assess the manner in which women related to terminally ill husbands. Separation was the only one found to be significantly related to post-death adjustment. Participants were 107 widows whose husbands had been ill for at least one month. Half had been affiliated with a hospice, the other half had not. Although there was no substantial difference between the two groups in adjustment, hospice women scored significantly higher in separation. Implications of the findings for new theories and practices are discussed.
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