The relation of widows' needs and resources to perceived health and depression

The study investigated the relationship of widowhood-related needs and resources to physical health and to depressed affect. Participants were 246 widowed women of all ages, who were widowed from 1 to 7 years, and who were drawn by stratified-random sampling from widows living in urban areas in Israel, and receiving social insurance payments. The findings show that although there was a significant added contribution by resources, the unique contribution of needs to the health and depression variance was generally maintained. Length of widowhood was not related either to health or depression, while widows' age was significantly related to both. The findings suggest that needs, as well as resources are necessary concepts for a fuller understanding of the coping process of widows.