Bereavement Stress and Coping among Older Adults: Expectations versus the Actual Experience

Abstract

This investigation compared the stress and coping levels of 108 older adults who recently lost their spouse with expectations of stress and coping reported by eighty-five matched nonbereaved controls. While the bereaved reported moderately high stress levels over two years, their stress scores were lower and their coping scores were higher than what the nonbereaved anticipated their levels would be if their spouse died. The findings are consistent with evidence that is beginning to emerge in bereavement literature that demonstrates resiliency on the part of those who have suffered a loss and that the ability to cope with the loss is often underestimated.