The effects of positive and negative support from children on widowed older adults' psychological adjustment: A longitudinal analysis

Abstract

Purpose:This article examines the extent to which positive and negative support from children prior to and after spousal loss and changes in support from pre- to post-loss affect widowed older adults' depressive symptoms, anxiety, and anger 18 months following widowhood.Design and Methods:Analyses are based on the Changing Lives of Older Couples, a prospective study of 1,532 married individuals aged 65 years and older. The analytic sample includes 148 widowed persons who have at least one living child and participated in the baseline and two follow-up interviews conducted 6 and 18 months following widowhood.Results:The analyses revealed that higher levels of positive support from children 6 months following widowhood were associated with fewer depressive symptoms at the 18-month follow-up, whereas higher levels of negative support 18 months after loss and a decrease in positive support following loss were associated with more depressive symptoms. Greater negative support both prior to and after loss was associated with greater anxiety, whereas greater negative support 6 months after loss and an increase in negative support following loss were related to greater anger.Implications:Given their differential impact on widowed persons' psychological adjustment, both positive and negative aspects of social support as well as its changing nature should be considered in working with bereaved older adults. © 2009 The Author. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved.