Caserta, Michael; Telonidis, Jacqueline Slattery; Lund, Dale A.
citation_other_author
Guralnick, J. T.; Pennington Jr., J. L.
citation_title
Effects of widowhood on disabled older women (the women's health and aging study)*
citation_date
2005-01-01
Description
This study examined the effects of becoming widowed for older women with pre-existing physical disability. Data from three consecutive interviews from the Women’s Health and Aging Study (WHAS) were used to compare depression, quality of life, and functional difficulty for widowed and nonwidowed women. The two groups of 24 women were matched by age, disability level, domains of disability, and race. Repeated measures of analyses of variance (ANOVAs) revealed that, for both groups, depression scores were low and remained relatively stable and they were satisfied with their quality of life at all three time points (T1 = 0-6 months pre-bereavement, T2 = 0–6 months bereaved, T3 = 6–12 months bereaved), with no significant group by time interaction effects. The two groups were no different on their levels of functional difficulty at T1 and T2 but by T3, surprisingly, the widows reported slightly less difficulty. Overall, the findings show that disabled women who became widows demonstrate a noticeable degree of resiliency and hardiness.
Type
text;
citation_publisher
Baywood Publishing Co.
citation_journal_title
OMEGA: The Journal of Death and Dying
citation_volume
50
citation_issue
3
citation_firstpage
217
Citation_lastpage
235
citation_doi
10.2190/HBMW-64C0-1VLW-QP40
citatation_issn
0030-2228
citation_keywords
Women’s Health and Aging Study; WHAS; Disabled older women;
Subject (LCSH)
Widows; Women with disabilities; Widowhood;
citation_language
eng;
Bibliographic Citation
Telonidis, J., Lund, D. A., Caserta, M. S., Guralnick, J. T., & Pennington, J. L. (2005). Effects of widowhood on disabled older women (the women's health and aging study). Omega: Journal of Death & Dying, 50(3), 217-235.
