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Death after marital bereavement--is the risk increased?
1Department of Community Health, University of Leicester, U.K.
Statistics in Medicine
|March 1, 1991
Summary
Marital bereavement increases mortality risk for elderly individuals, particularly widows, for approximately six months post-loss. This study adjusted for health factors, confirming elevated mortality risk after spousal death.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Epidemiology
- Sociology
Background:
- Marital bereavement is linked to increased mortality risk.
- Previous studies lacked adjustment for confounding factors like health status.
- Elderly populations face unique challenges post-bereavement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and model hypotheses on marital bereavement and mortality.
- To analyze mortality risk in elderly individuals after spousal loss, adjusting for confounders.
- To quantify the duration and magnitude of increased mortality risk following bereavement.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of a dataset of 344 elderly individuals (aged 75+) and their spouses.
- Seven-year follow-up to record deaths of index cases and spouses.
- Proportional hazards model with time-dependent covariates, adjusting for mental and physical health.
Main Results:
- An increased relative risk of mortality was observed for approximately six months post-bereavement.
- Widows showed a significantly increased relative risk of mortality (3.8; 95% CI: 1.4, 10.3).
- Widowers exhibited a relative risk of mortality of 0.03 (95% CI: 0.00, 37.3), though not statistically significant in this cohort.
Conclusions:
- Marital bereavement poses a significant, albeit time-limited, mortality risk for the elderly.
- The risk is notably higher for widows compared to widowers.
- Adjusting for health factors provides a more accurate assessment of bereavement's impact on mortality.