Marital quality and psychological adjustment to widowhood among older adults: A longitudinal analysis
Marital quality and psychological adjustment to widowhood among older adults: A longitudinal analysis
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DOI：
10.1093/geronb/55.4.s197
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发表时间：
2000-07-01
影响因子：
6.2
通讯作者：
Wortman, C
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Carr, D;House, JS;Wortman, C
目标.本研究旨在探讨丧偶后的心理调适是否受到丧偶前婚姻质量的三个方面（温暖、冲突和工具依赖）的影响。老年夫妇生活的变化（CLOC）是一项前瞻性研究，对1,532名65岁及以上的已婚人士进行了两阶段区域概率抽样。CLOG包括婚姻质量和心理健康的基线数据，以及在丧偶后6个月、18个月和48个月收集的悲伤、焦虑和抑郁数据。丧偶与那些高度依赖配偶的人的焦虑水平升高有关，而那些不依赖配偶的人的焦虑水平较低。丧偶者的渴望程度较低，他们的关系在基线上是冲突的，而那些报告婚姻亲密程度和对配偶的依赖程度较高的人则更高。依靠丈夫提供工具性支持的女性比依靠妻子的男性有更高的渴望水平。研究结果与普遍认为的婚姻冲突时悲伤更严重的观点相矛盾，并表明丧亲之痛和婚姻特征之间存在更复杂的关系。
Objectives. This study examined whether psychological adjustment to widowhood is affected by three aspects of marital quality-warmth, conflict, and instrumental dependence-assessed prior to the loss.Methods. The Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC) is a prospective study of a two-stage area probability sample of 1,532 married individuals aged 65 and older. The CLOG includes baseline data on marital quality and mental health and data on grief, anxiety, and depression collected 6, 18, and 48 months after spousal loss.Results. Widowhood was associated with elevated anxiety among those who were highly dependent on their spouses and lower levels of anxiety among those who were not dependent on their spouses. Levels of yearning were lower for widowed persons whose relationships were conflicted at baseline and higher fur those reporting high levels of marital closeness and dependence on their spouses. Women who relied on their husbands for instrumental support had significantly higher levels of yearning than men who depended on their wives.Discussion. The findings contradict the widespread belief that grief is more severe if the marriage was conflicted and suggest a more complex relationship between bereavement and characteristics of the marriage.