Differences in Protective Resources and Risks for Depressive Symptoms Among Recent Widows in the United States and India.

Abstract

Widowhood is among the most consequential stressful events for mental health. Although certain resources have been identified as protective of mental health following widowhood, these findings are based on United States (U.S.) samples. This study uses novel harmonized data to evaluate differences in depressive symptoms and related factors among those recently widowed (i.e., within the last 2 years) in the U.S. (Health and Retirement Study) and India (Longitudinal Ageing Study in India). We find U.S. widows have greater elevation in depressive symptoms (-0.36 standard deviations) than widows in India (-0.15) on average. We identify three protective resources for widows that are dependent on country context: having close friends versus no friends (-0.58 versus -0.13) and living with others versus alone (-0.79 versus -0.23) are both larger for widows in the U.S. Self-rated health that is good, fair, or poor is related to higher depressive symptoms for widows in the US versus India (between 0.55 and 1.12). Findings suggest protective resources among recently widowed individuals designed to protect mental health following this stressful event will require consideration of country context. In particular, social engagement-based interventions may offer more significant benefits to widows in the U.S.