Recovering from the death of a spouse

Within the context of an international comparative grief project, the goal of this study has been to compare the grief reactions to grieving Finnish women and men who had lost their spouse within a period of either less than or more than 2 years prior the study. The sample consisted of women (n = 242) and men (n = 76) who had lost a spouse between the ages of 25 and 65 years at the time of their death. Two instruments were used in data collection: a sociodemographic instrument and the Hogan Grief Reactions Checklist, developed in the USA. In comparing the different dimensions of grief in the subgroups divided by the bereavement time, there were significant differences in the grief reactions. Despair and disorganization diminished over time. Panic behaviour and detachment dimensions also showed differences although they were not statistically significant. The widowers who lost their spouse more than 2 years prior to the study displayed their feelings of blame and anger more than the widows. Results showed that if the death had occurred less than 2 years prior to the study there were no differences between the groups.