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Late-life widowhood in the United States: New directions in research and theory

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Abstract

Widowhood is considered one of the most distressing transitions experienced by older adults, yet the bereaved display tremendous variation in their psychological and social adjustment to loss. We argue that widowhood is a multifaceted transition, and that its personal consequences are contingent upon macrosocial conditions, such as demographic patterns and gender-based allocation of social roles; dyadic characteristics, including marital quality; and individual-level attributes, such as gender. Moreover, we argue that an accurate statistical portrait of late-life widowhood requires that researchers use prospective longitudinal data, contrast the bereaved with members of a non-bereaved control group, and adjust for pre-loss characteristics which influence both the risk of and consequences of widowhood. To illustrate these points, we present new research findings from the Changing Lives of Older Couples study, a prospective study of older widowed persons and matched controls in the United States. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. the department of Sociology and the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research at Rutgers University, USA

    Deborah Carr Ph.D. (assistant professor)

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  1. Deborah Carr Ph.D.
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  2. Rebecca Utz
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Rebecca Utz is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Michigan. The Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC) study is supported by grants R01-Ag15948 and P01-AG05561 from the National Institute of Aging, and from the Nancy Pritzker Research Network, awarded to Dr. Randolph Nesse, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. The analyses for this paper were conducted while the first author was at the University of Michigan.

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Carr, D., Utz, R. Late-life widowhood in the United States: New directions in research and theory. Ageing Int. 27, 65–88 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-001-1016-3

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