The Widowhood Effect: A Comparison of Jews and Catholics

Abstract

Using mortality data derived from tombstones in two Midwestern cemeteries, we compared the “widowhood effect” (decreased survival following the death of a spouse) among Jews and Catholics. Jewish men and women were both more likely to die sooner after the death of their spouses compared to Catholic men and women. Life table survival analysis indicated that the median number of years of survival following widowhood for Catholic and Jewish men were 7.7 years and 5.0 years, respectively ( p < .01). For Catholic and Jewish women, it was 11.0 and 9.5 years, respectively ( p < .01) Interpretations were offered in terms of Bowlby's attachment theory.