Psychological Resilience Among Widowed Men and Women: A 10‐Year Follow‐up of a National Sample

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) I Epidemiologic Followup Study were used to examine some long‐term consequences of widowhood. Beginning with a sample of over 14,000 respondents between the ages of 25 and 74, a 10‐year follow‐up traced 94% of those initially married and 93% of the widowed. There were no differences between these groups in mortality rate when adjusted for age and education differences. Three groups—those married at both times, those widowed during the follow‐up interval, and those widowed at both times—were then compared on measures of psychosocial status and functioning at the time of the follow‐up. Longitudinal analyses were also conducted for subsamples with data on the same variables at initial survey and follow‐up. The widowed had lower family income and were more likely to have been institutionalized. However, they showed little or no difference on measures of self‐rated health, activities of daily living, social network size, extroversion, openness to experience, psychological well‐being, and depression. These results highlight the psychological resilience of most individuals and their capacity to adapt to stressful events and conditions.

Duke Scholars

Author Paul T. Costa Jr. Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Care