The Effect of Widowhood on Older Adults' Social Participation An Evaluation of Activity, Disengagement, and Continuity Theories

摘要: Purpose This study evaluated how levels of social participation change as a result late-life widowhood. Social is multidimensional construct incorporating both formal (e.g., meeting attendance, religious participation, and volunteer obligations) informal telephone contact interactions with friends) roles. Design methods Using data from the Changing Lives Older Couples study, analyses compared widowed persons to continuously married control participants evaluate whether widowhood affects older adults' participation. Results Widowed had higher than nonwidowed persons, whereas were comparable between two groups. decrease before death spouse, primarily because poor spousal health, increase following loss, increased support friends relatives. Implications Maintaining continuity in realm strategy adults use cope loss; however, not all have same resources alter their