Weathering Widowhood: Problems and Adjustment of the Widowed during the First Year

Abstract

Widows (n = 78) and widowers (n = 41) whose spouses died at a midwest suburban hospital were interviewed thirteen to sixteen months after they were widowed. An 8–item self-report measure of adjustment-depression was developed. The article discusses the factors related to adjustment, the problems faced by the widowed during the first year of bereavement, those who helped the most during the final hospitalization and during bereavement, and finally some practical considerations for those who are concerned with the problems of the widowed. Key results showed that adjustment was more difficult for widows than for widowers, that anticipatory grief was an important factor in the adjustment of widows, and that follow-up visits by physicians and local clergy were helpful to the widowed, 25 per cent of whom were still depressed after one year.