[Widowhood : problem and factors of adaptation.]

The death of a spouse is a crisis situation which the majority of the population will experience. Some are affected over a long period by the effects of mourning, while others adapt more easily. Starting with a review of writing on the subject, this article describes first the principal stages of the mourning reaction, then it identifies the associated financial, health, and interpersonal problems experienced by widows and widowers. Age, income, previous mourning, the existence of a confidant, frequenting friends and other widows or widowers, satisfaction in relation to help received, participation in diverse associations, are the principal factors favouring adaptation to widowhood. Depressive behaviour, one month after onset of widowhood, and the delayed reaction to mourning indicate a possible negative reaction.