Spousal Loss and Change in Cognitive Functioning: An Examination of Temporal Patterns and Gender Differences
Jonathan Wörn1,2, Hannie Comijs3, Marja Aartsen4
1Research Training Group SOCLIFE, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, Cologne, Germany.
Summary
Widowhood temporarily impacted women's reasoning abilities, but cognitive health remained largely unaffected in men following spousal loss. This study explores cognitive changes after bereavement.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Neuropsychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Widowhood is associated with adverse health and mortality outcomes.
- Men often experience greater negative impacts from widowhood compared to women in various health domains.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if men experience disadvantages in cognitive health changes following widowhood.
- To examine the impact of spousal loss on cognitive functioning in older adults.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam data from 1,269 older adults (≥65 years) were analyzed.
- Fixed effects regression models assessed changes in four cognitive domains after spousal loss.
- Participants were married and cognitively unimpaired at baseline, with 419 experiencing spousal loss.
Main Results:
- Women showed a temporary decrease in reasoning ability in the second year post-spousal loss.
- No significant cognitive changes were observed in men after spousal loss.
- Global cognitive functioning, processing speed, and memory remained unaffected in women.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive functioning appears relatively robust to the experience of spousal loss.
- Unlike other health domains, men do not exhibit a disadvantaged position regarding cognitive changes after widowhood.
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