Do personal conditions and circumstances surrounding partner loss explain loneliness in newly bereaved older adults

Bibliographic Data

ID11202241
AuthorsBerna Van Baarsen (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Johannes H Smit (0000-0002-2062-8378, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Tom Ab Snijders (0000-0003-3157-4157, Information Technology University), Tom A B Snijders, Kees Knipscheer (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), KEES P M KNIPSCHEER
Year1999
Volume19
Issue4
Pages441-469
Publication date1999-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAgeing and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0144-686X • E-ISSN: 1469-1779
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0144686x9900745x
OpenAlexW2169233377
LanguageEN
Citations received20
References cited19

This longitudinal study aims to explain loneliness in newly bereaved older adults, taking into account personal and circumstantial conditions surrounding the partner's death. A distinction is made between emotional and social loneliness. Data were gathered both before and after partner loss. Results were interpreted within the framework of the Theory of Mental Incongruity. The findings reveal that being unable to anticipate the partner's death is related to higher levels of emotional loneliness. Standards of instrumental support, measured indirectly by poor physical condition, lead to stronger emotional as well as social loneliness. Standards measured directly by importance attached to support or contacts result in higher emotional loneliness but, unexpectedly, in lower social loneliness. Furthermore, difficulties with establishing personal contacts, caused, for instance, by social anxiety, add to loneliness. It is concluded that circumstances related to the partner's illness may contribute to emotional loneliness after bereavement. Moreover, the results highlight the importance of taking coping attitudes into consideration for a better understanding of how newly bereaved older adults adapt to the loss of a partner

Anxiety · Coping (psychology) · Developmental psychology · Loneliness · Psychiatry · Social support · Clinical Psychology · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Health disparities and outcomes · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Social Psychology