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Does widowhood increase mortality risk?: testing for selection effects by comparing causes of spousal death
Paul J Boyle1, Zhiqiang Feng, Gillian M Raab
1Longitudinal Studies Centre-Scotland, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom. P.Boyle@st-andrews.ac.uk
Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.)
|November 6, 2010
Summary
Widowhood significantly increases mortality risk for both men and women, a causal effect not explained by shared characteristics. This heightened risk persists for at least a decade after spousal death.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Demography
- Public Health
Background:
- The "widowhood effect" suggests widowhood increases mortality risk.
- Selection effects, where shared couple characteristics influence mortality, may confound this association.
- Investigating the widowhood effect by cause of spousal death can help disentangle causal from selection effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if widowhood causally increases mortality risk.
- To control for selection effects by analyzing causes of spousal death.
- To examine the duration and magnitude of the widowhood effect.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Scottish Longitudinal Study.
- Compared mortality outcomes for men and women based on their spouse's cause of death.
- Controlled for individual and household-level characteristics.
Main Results:
- The widowhood effect was substantial, with adjusted hazard ratios of 1.40 for men and 1.36 for women.
- Increased mortality risk was observed shortly after widowhood and persisted for at least 10 years.
- The effect did not significantly differ by most classifications of spousal death, but was lower for individuals with pre-existing risks.
Conclusions:
- The study employed three methods to classify spousal death causes, aiming to control for selection bias.
- Results consistently indicate a causal link between widowhood and increased mortality.
- The findings suggest the widowhood effect is a genuine causal phenomenon, not solely attributable to selection.
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