Widowhood Raises Death Rates

Widowhood Raises Death Rates Stress Management Situational Stress Print How the Widowhood Effect Puts Widows at Risk After a Spouses Death By Leonard Holmes Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Carly Snyder, MD on November 10, 2019 facebook twitter linkedin Carly Snyder, MD is a reproductive and perinatal psychiatrist who combines traditional psychiatry with integrative medicine-based treatments.   Learn about our Medical Review Board Carly Snyder, MD on November 10, 2019 Michael Heim / Getty Images More in Stress Management Situational Stress Effects on Health Management Techniques Job Stress Household Stress Relationship Stress Losing a spouse is incredibly stressful, and medical research shows that older people who lose a spouse have an increased risk of dying themselves. This risk, known by researchers as the widowhood effect, seems to be highest in the first three months after a spouse dies. However, older people also bounce back more quickly than some might think: researchers have shown that they tend to regain their earlier levels of health (both physical and psychological health) within about 18 months of their spouses death. Here are the details of what science has learned about the widowhood effect and surviving widowhood. Why the First 3 Months Are Critical to Surviving Widowhood People whose spouses have just died have a whopping 66% increased chance of dying themselves within the first three months following their spouses death. Thats the word from a 2013 study in the Journal of Public Health that was based on responses from 12,316 participants who were followed for 10 years. (Note that prior studies had placed the increased chances of death for the surviving spouse even higher â€" at up to 90%.) Although previous research had reported that men face a greater risk than women of dying soon after a spouse, the 2013 study found equal chances for men and women. It also found that after the first three months, theres still a widowhood effect â€" about a 15 percent increased chance of dying for the surviving spouse. Other studies have looked at the cause of death for the widowed spouse to see if people with certain conditions have a higher risk of dying. Its a complicated analysis, but a study in 2008 found that widowed men have a much higher risk of dying from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, an accident or serious fracture, an infection or sepsis in the months following their wives deaths. Meanwhile, the same study found that widowed women have a much higher risk of dying from COPD, colon cancer, accidents or serious fractures, or lung cancer in the months following their husbands deaths. Who Is Most Affected by Widowhood? It seems logical to assume that spouses who were in a close marital relationship will be more depressed following widowhood, and research has backed that up. Perhaps more surprisingly, surviving spouses who owned homes tended to be more depressed, perhaps because they were worried about shouldering the responsibility of caring for the house. Meanwhile, women who were dependent on their husbands for financial tasks and home maintenance chores tended to have more post-widowhood anxiety, for understandable reasons, research has shown. Some studies have found that sudden deaths may be easier to bear than long, lingering illnesses that ultimately lead to widowhood. However, men cope with sudden deaths better than women. The Bottom Line No one knows what causes this increased risk of death for the surviving spouse. Some doctors have speculated that this widowhood effect results because surviving spouses stop paying attention to their own health and well-being as their partners health deteriorates, but its not clear if thats the reason. Regardless, stress likely plays a role. Social support can help to counter the widowhood effect. If your spouse has just passed away, and you find yourself struggling, reach out to your family and friends for help. And if a family member or a close friend recently has suffered the loss of a spouse, offering that person support can help them get through one of the toughest possible times in life.