Social support and depression in widows and widowers

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the relationships between social support and depression and the amount of social support used by 31 widows and 35 widowers. Participants completed the Personal Resource Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, and a demographic questionnaire. A significant negative relationship was observed between perceived social support and depression. There was no difference in the amount of depression experienced by widows and widowers. There were no significant differences in the two groups' perceptions of support received from their environment or in the number of supportive contacts identified in their social networks.