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The widowhood effect is the increase in the probability of a person dying a relatively short amount of time after a long-time spouse has died. It can also be referred to as "dying of a broken heart". Being widowed increases the likelihood of developing severe mental disorders [1] along with psychological and other physical illnesses. [2]
A 2009 study by Abel and Kruger compared the likelihood of death between Catholic and Jewish widows, based on the graves of Jewish and Catholic couples in the Midwest. The data suggested that the widowhood effect was stronger in Jewish couples than in Catholic couples. One study proved that Catholic women lived 11 years after the death of their spouse, while Jewish women lived nine and a half years after the deaths of their husbands. Similarly, the Jewish men lived five years after the death of their wives, while the Catholic men lived about eight years after the death of their wives. [3]
Research has found that surviving spouses tended to experience significant weight loss after the death of their partner. It was theorized that these changes in weight are the result of differences in dietary intake before and after the death of a spouse. [4] Danit Shahar and colleagues surveyed 116 older individuals in order to track their weight and eating habits over the course of their longitudinal study. Half of the participants were widowed, and the other half were non-widowed. The study found that the widowed subjects were more likely to eat meals alone than the married individuals. The diets of the widowed subjects also consisted of more commercial foods than their counterparts. The authors hypothesized that this weight loss was the result of the widowed participants not finding as much enjoyment in eating as they did before their spouses death. Widowed subjects had less of an appetite and as a result, lost weight over the course of the study. [4]
The death of a spouse can have a major impact on one's mental health. Each individual may respond to their spouse's death differently. After the death of a spouse, many widows began to take more prescription medications for mental health issues. [5] The mental health effects differ between men and women. Men may become more depressed in widowhood compared to women. Married men also report a higher rate of happiness in their marriage which could be drastically altered after the partners death. Men and women both show greater rates of depression after the death of a spouse but the rates of depression in men tend to be higher than in women. [6] [7]
A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis by Singham, Bell, Saunders, and Stott reported that significant life stressors, such as the loss of a spouse, may be considered a risk factor in cognitive decline. [8]
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also referred to as broken heart syndrome, has been discussed in contexts surrounding great physical and emotional stress, such as when someone has been widowed. In addition, emotional stress has long been associated with myocardial infarction. [9] In their research, Brenn and Ytterstad reported an increase in the death of women 55–64 years old due to heart disease in the first week of widowhood than married women 55–64 years old (2016). Although takotsubo is not considered to be the direct cause of death at this time, it is an observed phenomenon. [9]
Elderly widows usually experience changes in their social lives prior to and following the deaths of their spouses. A study conducted by Utz and colleagues revealed that elderly persons experiencing widowhood spent more time with family and friends than non-widowed counterparts, based on the lifestyle changes that occur in elderly couples. [10] Although widowed subjects were more likely to socialize with family and friends, they were no more likely to visit church or volunteer than the intact couples. This study also found that healthy spouses were reclusive while their significant other was on their deathbed, but due to a network of family and friends; the surviving spouse entered society being more social than they had been prior to the death of their husband or wife. Elderly widows were more or less involved socially depending on the amount of support they had from family and friends. [10] It has been noted that widows who have a close and supportive social network can counteract the effects of widowhood by remaining active in their social group. Losing a spouse can have a profound impact on a person's overall well-being, affecting various aspects of their life. This can include their psychological, social, physical, practical, and economic well-being. [11] With all of these aspects of a widowed individual being affected maintaining a sense of normality is important to help avoid depression-like symptoms. Social support, as well as creating new lasting relationships through social interaction can help the process of bereavement go smoother for individuals who experience the widow effect.
A 2015 study conducted by Wright and colleagues revealed that there is a significant difference in urban-rural variation in the social environment as well as in health outcomes. [12] There is evidence that social support from family and friends has better health outcomes on mortality rates. Investigations showed that the race of the partner influences the widowhood effect; whites in endogamous marriages had greater mortality risks that were not obvious among blacks, which the authors concluded was due to a high level of family support for the elderly among black families versus white families. Moreover, the study also found differences in urban and rural areas around the world. They found that elderly married couples in the US suffered significant mortality risks compared to those in Ireland where older people living in more rural areas receive more social support from their families, and they live with their children, while in the US elderly people live in care homes. As a result, mortality rates are greater in urban areas and less in rural areas.
In a study done by Elwert and Christakis, they found that there was no widowhood effect found in endogamous marriages involving black men or women. Analyzing this finding, they proposed that this might be because black people are able to extend their marital survival advantage into widowhood. This is likely because black people are prone to have kin nearer to help take care of them, they may be more self-sufficient than their white counterparts, and there is greater religious participation in black people that may help them with spiritual comfort. [13] White people were found to have "a large and enduring widowhood effect" because there is no reparation to make up for the survival advantages that marriage gave them, even if they have been widowed for years. [14]
The widowhood effect appears to have a higher impact in rural and intermediate areas compared to urban areas. One factor may be that there are greater distances to primary care services in rural areas, and this increases mortality due to discouraged health checkups. [12] It is known that the size of family and social network coincides with physical functioning; the bigger the social group one belongs to the better they can physically function. Residential areas near green areas are associated with an increase in physical activity and lowered mortality. [12] Researchers measured peak flow to show the increases or decrease in physical functioning, and the results suggest that married subjects have a higher peak flow compared to those divorced or widowed. [15]
It was suggested that the widowhood effect was a mere coincidence resulting from the selection of partners with similar health risks. In a recent study by Boyle and colleagues, it was concluded that the increased mortality rate of widows is caused by the death of their spouse. Researchers in the study used data from the Scottish Longitudinal Study to compare the ratios of death in widowed males and females. The male and female subjects were categorized into different groups depending on the manner in which their spouse died. The results provided evidence that suggests a causal relationship between mortality rate and widowhood. [16]
In April 2016, the American Heart Association published an article regarding the phenomenon referred to as "broken heart syndrome". This particular syndrome seems to occur when a person experiences an overwhelming amount of stress in their life in a short period of time. The cases mentioned involved both positive events like winning the lottery as well as negative events like experiencing the death of a spouse. Though broken heart syndrome has been misdiagnosed as a heart attack, the differences between the two phenomena are clear. Heart attacks are the result of a blockage of arteries, but broken heart syndrome is the result of a hormone-induced enlargement of a portion of the heart. The enlarged region of the heart is less effective in regard to pumping blood, and the normal-sized regions of the heart are forced to work harder as a result. [17]
Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial ischemia, or simply heart disease, involves the reduction of blood flow to the cardiac muscle due to build-up of atherosclerotic plaque in the arteries of the heart. It is the most common of the cardiovascular diseases. Types include stable angina, unstable angina, and myocardial infarction.
Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's weight divided by the square of the person's height—is over 30 kg/m2; the range 25–30 kg/m2 is defined as overweight. Some East Asian countries use lower values to calculate obesity. Obesity is a major cause of disability and is correlated with various diseases and conditions, particularly cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.
Infant mortality is the death of an infant before the infant's first birthday. The occurrence of infant mortality in a population can be described by the infant mortality rate (IMR), which is the number of deaths of infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births. Similarly, the child mortality rate, also known as the under-five mortality rate, compares the death rate of children up to the age of five.
Grief is the response to the loss of something deemed important, particularly to the loss of someone or some living thing that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, grief also has physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, cultural, spiritual and philosophical dimensions. While the terms are often used interchangeably, bereavement refers to the state of loss, while grief is the reaction to that loss.
A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died and has usually not remarried. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can sometimes be found on older gravestones. The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men.
The health effects of long-term alcohol consumption on health vary depending on the amount of ethanol consumed. Even light drinking poses health risks, but small amounts of alcohol may also have health benefits. Chronic heavy drinking causes severe health consequences which outweigh any potential benefits.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases, heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, congenital heart disease, valvular heart disease, carditis, aortic aneurysms, peripheral artery disease, thromboembolic disease, and venous thrombosis.
The Framingham Heart Study is a long-term, ongoing cardiovascular cohort study of residents of the city of Framingham, Massachusetts. The study began in 1948 with 5,209 adult subjects from Framingham, and is now on its third generation of participants. Prior to the study almost nothing was known about the epidemiology of hypertensive or arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Much of the now-common knowledge concerning heart disease, such as the effects of diet, exercise, and common medications such as aspirin, is based on this longitudinal study. It is a project of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, in collaboration with Boston University. Various health professionals from the hospitals and universities of Greater Boston staff the project.
Social isolation is a state of complete or near-complete lack of contact between an individual and society. It differs from loneliness, which reflects temporary and involuntary lack of contact with other humans in the world. Social isolation can be an issue for individuals of any age, though symptoms may differ by age group.
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy or takotsubo syndrome (TTS), also known as stress cardiomyopathy, is a type of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy in which there is a sudden temporary weakening of the muscular portion of the heart. It usually appears after a significant stressor, either physical or emotional; when caused by the latter, the condition is sometimes called broken heart syndrome.
A broken heart is a metaphor for the intense emotional stress or pain one feels at experiencing great loss or deep longing. The concept is cross-cultural, often cited with reference to unreciprocated or lost love.
Remarriage is a marriage that takes place after a previous marital union has ended, as through divorce or widowhood. Some individuals are more likely to remarry than others; the likelihood can differ based on previous relationship status, level of interest in establishing a new romantic relationship, gender, culture, and age among other factors. Those who choose not to remarry may prefer alternative arrangements like cohabitation or living apart together. Remarriage also provides mental and physical health benefits. However, although remarried individuals tend to have better health than individuals who do not repartner, they still generally have worse health than individuals who have remained continuously married. Remarriage is addressed differently in various religions and denominations of those religions. Someone who repeatedly remarries is referred to as a serial wedder.
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may travel into the shoulder, arm, back, neck or jaw. Often such pain occurs in the center or left side of the chest and lasts for more than a few minutes. The discomfort may occasionally feel like heartburn.
Nicholas A. Christakis is a Greek-American sociologist and physician known for his research on social networks and on the socioeconomic, biosocial, and evolutionary determinants of human welfare. He is the Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University, where he directs the Human Nature Lab. He is also the co-director of the Yale Institute for Network Science.
Caregiver syndrome or caregiver stress is a condition that strongly manifests exhaustion, anger, rage, or guilt resulting from unrelieved caring for a chronically ill patient. This condition is not listed in the United States' Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, although the term is often used by many healthcare professionals in that country. The equivalent used in many other countries, the ICD-11, does include the condition.
An informal or primary caregiver is an individual in a cancer patient's life that provides unpaid assistance and cancer-related care. Due to the typically late onset of cancer, caregivers are often the spouses and/or children of patients, but may also be parents, other family members, or close friends. Informal caregivers are a major form of support for the cancer patient because they provide most care outside of the hospital environment. This support includes:
Marriage and health are closely related. Married people experience lower morbidity and mortality across such diverse health threats as cancer, heart attacks, and surgery. There are gender differences in these effects which may be partially due to men's and women's relative status. Most research on marriage and health has focused on heterosexual couples, and more work is needed to clarify the health effects on same-sex marriage. Simply being married, as well as the quality of one's marriage, has been linked to diverse measures of health. Research has examined the social-cognitive, emotional, behavioral and biological processes involved in these links.
Suicide and trauma is the increased risk of suicide that is caused by psychological trauma.
Medellena Maria Lee Glymour is an American epidemiologist. Her primary research interests focus on "how social factors experienced across the lifecourse, such as educational attainment and work environment, influence cognitive function, memory loss, stroke and other health outcomes in old age."
Bereavement groups, or grief groups, are a type of support group that bereaved individuals may access to have a space to process through or receive social support around grief. Bereavement groups are typically one of the most common services offered to bereaved individuals, encompassing both formalized group therapy settings for reducing clinical levels of grief as well as support groups that offer support, information, and exchange between those who have experienced loss.