Do Afterlife Beliefs Affect Psychological Adjustment to Late-Life Spousal Loss?
Do Afterlife Beliefs Affect Psychological Adjustment to Late-Life Spousal Loss?
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DOI：
10.1093/geronb/gbt063
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发表时间：
2014-01-01
影响因子：
6.2
通讯作者：
Sharp, Shane
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Carr, Deborah;Sharp, Shane
目标。我们探讨了关于来世的存在和性质的信念是否会影响最近失去亲人的年长配偶的 5 种心理症状（焦虑、愤怒、抑郁、侵入性想法和渴望）。方法。我们使用老年夫妇的生活变化 (CLOC) 的数据进行多元回归分析，这是一项关于失去配偶的前瞻性研究。 CLOC 在失去亲人之前以及失去亲人后 6 个月和 18 个月内获取了他们的数据。所有分析均根据健康状况、社会人口特征和损失前婚姻质量进行调整。结果。对来世的悲观或不确定的看法与失去亲人后的痛苦的多个方面有关。对来世是否存在的不确定性与侵入性想法的增加有关，这是一种类似于创伤后痛苦的症状。那些不希望在来世与亲人团聚的丧偶者报告称，在失去亲人后 6 个月和 18 个月时，他们的抑郁症状、愤怒和侵入性想法明显增多。讨论。对来世的信仰可能不适合应对晚年失去配偶的情况，尤其是当一个人不确定来世的存在或对来世持悲观态度时。我们的研究结果与最近的研究大体一致，表明与死者的“持续联系”可能不适合年长的丧亲配偶。
Objectives. We explore whether beliefs about the existence and nature of an afterlife affect 5 psychological symptoms (anxiety, anger, depression, intrusive thoughts, and yearning) among recently bereaved older spouses.Method. We conduct multivariate regression analyses using data from the Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC), a prospective study of spousal loss. The CLOC obtained data from bereaved persons prior to loss and both 6 and 18 months postloss. All analyses are adjusted for health, sociodemographic characteristics, and preloss marital quality.Results. Bleak or uncertain views about the afterlife are associated with multiple aspects of distress postloss. Uncertainty about the existence of an afterlife is associated with elevated intrusive thoughts, a symptom similar to posttraumatic distress. Widowed persons who do not expect to be reunited with loved ones in the afterlife report significantly more depressive symptoms, anger, and intrusive thoughts at both 6 and 18 months postloss.Discussion. Beliefs in an afterlife may be maladaptive for coping with late-life spousal loss, particularly if one is uncertain about its existence or holds a pessimistic view of what the afterlife entails. Our findings are broadly consistent with recent work suggesting that "continuing bonds" with the decedent may not be adaptive for older bereaved spouses.