Coping with Bereavement among Elderly Widowers

Abstract

A Dual Process Model of Bereavement, which considers the impact of loss- and restoration-oriented variables on widowers' levels of well-being, is tested on 200 widowed men during the second year of bereavement. Those who were widowed less than 500 days exhibited significantly more negative affect, less positive affect, and lower well-being that those widowed more than 500 days. Multiple regression analyses revealed that both loss and restoration variables were important throughout bereavement. Loss variables influenced negative affect and were especially critical during the early stages. Restoration variables significantly affected positive affect and had greater impact on the later bereaved. The results support a dual process model of bereavement, but also suggest that certain events, such as circumstances of death, are more important during early bereavement while reinvestment activities, such as dating, become relevant later. Some circumstances, such as a wife's suffering, have prolonged effects.