Response to the death of a spouse was examined by focusing on acceptance, which was conceptualized as both a process and an outcome. Grounded theory was applied to analyze the experience of 15 bereaved Hong Kong Chinese older adults. The main theme that emerged was time. Acceptance of spousal death was found to be related to the search for meaning…

This qualitative study of nine women examined the changes in their everyday lives as they cared for their terminally-ill husbands and after their husbands died. It also studied how the women coped with these changes, and how their coping contributed to their identity change from wife to widow. Symbolic interaction was utilized to study the changes…

Used data from interviews with 131 older spouse caregivers to explore potential explanations for gender differences in reported caregiver burden. Linear regression model explained 35 percent of variance in caregiver burden. Patient's cognitive and behavioral difficulties emerged as most important predictor of burden, followed by caregiver age,…

Results suggest that characteristics of the marital lifestyle may impede or facilitate adjustment to marital separation, although salient characteristics may vary for men and women, and change with age. The existence of separate avenues for self-expression constitutes a major resource in coping with the transition to singlehood. (Author)

A confiding spousal relationship and/or a confidant outside the marital relationship may affect an individual's ability to cope with various stressful events occurring during the adult years. Initial interviews of adults (N=2299) were conducted in 1972; a follow-up study was conducted in 1976 with 1106 adults. The findings confirmed the…