Spousal loss in late life: A 1-year follow-up of perceived changes in life meaning and psychosocial functioning following bereavement

Abstract Ninety-two elderly men and women were participants in two separate but related phases of a study designed to investigate the multidimensional nature of elderly persons' grief reactions following spousal loss. At Time 1 (4 months after spousal death) and at Time 2 (12 months after spousal death), 92 and 78 participants, respectively, responded to an open-ended questionnaire asking for a brief description of grief reactions to spousal loss as experienced in personal meanings, psychosocial behaviors, and interpersonal relationships. In addition, at Time 2, 27 participants agreed to an in-depth interview in which they were encouraged to trace their recovery process and to talk about their transition and adaptation to widow(er)hood. Two separate principal-components factor analyses were conducted on the questionnaire data drawn from 92 individuals at Time 1 and 78 individuals at Time 2. The data from the in-depth interviews were analyzed by means of a qualitative approach. At Time 1, the factor analys...