The measurement of grief: age and sex variation

Age and sex variation in the expression of grief were examined using a structured assessment to test clinically based impressions that widowers by comparison with widows and older bereaved persons by comparison with middle-aged counterparts would report distinctive aspects of grief and less intense distress. One hundred and fourteen acutely bereaved spouses were interviewed one month after a loss. The psychological assessment used was designed to measure several dimensions of grief including separation anxiety, numbness-disbelief and depression. Widows reported significantly more numbness-disbelief and depression than widowers but no difference in the intensity of separation anxiety. Contrary to our hypotheses, no attenuation in the intensity of grief was observed among older bereaved spouses, though they reacted to the loss with less emotional numbness and disbelief of the reality than the middle-aged comparison group. Furthermore, they reported no more neurovegetative or illusory symptoms than middle-aged, bereaved spouses. Older widowers experienced more separation anxiety than younger widowers. It seems possible that these differences account, in part, for age and sex variation in the morbidity and mortality of bereavement.