Related Experiment Videos
Women's adjustment to widowhood: does social support matter?
Nancy B Miller1, Virginia L Smerglia, Nicole Bouchet
1Department of Sociology, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-1905, USA. mmiller@uakron.edu
Journal of Women & Aging
|March 22, 2005
Summary
Widowhood is a stressful life event for women. This meta-analysis found that social support did not significantly impact women's adjustment to widowhood in most studies examined.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Widowhood presents significant challenges for women, including health, financial, and relationship losses.
- Social support is frequently analyzed as a key factor in women's adjustment to widowhood.
- Existing research often assumes a positive link between social support and adjustment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the relationship between social support and women's adjustment to widowhood.
- To investigate whether the type of support or study methodology influences this relationship.
Main Methods:
- Meta-analysis of 19 previous studies on widowhood.
- Chi-square statistics were used to examine influencing factors.
Main Results:
- The majority of analyzed relationships did not demonstrate a positive impact of social support on adjustment.
- Neither the type of social support nor the study methods significantly affected the observed relationship.
Conclusions:
- Social support may not be as critical for women's adjustment to widowhood as commonly assumed.
- Further research is needed to understand the complex factors influencing adjustment to widowhood.