The gendered experience of social resources in the transition to late-life widowhood

Bibliographic Data

ID11201361
AuthorsLinda Isherwood (0000-0001-7483-3011, The University of Adelaide, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume43
Issue3
Pages689-705
Publication date2023-03-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAgeing and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0144-686X • E-ISSN: 1469-1779
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0144686x21000829
OpenAlexW3180023345
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited30

Social resources – close relationships, support exchange and social engagement – can play an important role in successful adjustment to widowhood in later life. However, it is not clear whether access to, and the utilisation of, social resources are different for men and women during late-life widowhood. This study provides a qualitative exploration of the experience of social resources in the lives of older widowed men and women across the transition to widowhood (from pre-widowhood to later widowhood). Using a life course theory lens, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 men and women who had been widowed in later life. The interview data were analysed using the framework approach. Four phases in the transition to widowhood were identified: ‘Illness and caring’, ‘Relocation and separation’, ‘Early bereavement’ and ‘Life goes on’. Widowhood brings great change to the accessibility and utilisation of social resources, and each of these transitional phases was associated with differential usage of these resources. Gender differences were observed in the availability of social resources across the transition to widowhood, with widowed men typically found to have smaller friendship networks, receive less support and be at increased risk of social isolation. Particular attention is required to ensure that all older widowed men and women have access to sufficient social support and contact following bereavement

Developmental psychology · Friendship · Life course approach · Psychiatry · Relocation · Social isolation · Social support · Sociology · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Health disparities and outcomes · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Gerontology

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