Emotional well-being in recently bereaved widows: a dynamical systems approach

A dynamical systems approach was used to model the intraindividual variability in emotional well-being following conjugal loss. Well-being in a sample of 19 recently bereaved older adult widows was measured every day for 3 months. The pattern of variability of well-being was hypothesized to be an os...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences Vol. 59; no. 4; pp. P158 - 167
Main Authors Bisconti, Toni L, Bergeman, C S, Boker, Steven M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Oxford University Press for Gerontological Society of America 01.07.2004
SeriesJournals of Gerontology: Series B
Subjects
Adaptation, Psychological
Affect
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Bereavement
Depression - epidemiology
Depression - psychology
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Middle Aged
Models, Statistical
Self Concept
Social Adjustment
Widowhood - psychology
Widowhood - statistics & numerical data
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Summary:A dynamical systems approach was used to model the intraindividual variability in emotional well-being following conjugal loss. Well-being in a sample of 19 recently bereaved older adult widows was measured every day for 3 months. The pattern of variability of well-being was hypothesized to be an oscillating process that damps across time (i.e., large swings followed by a gradual damping). Results indicated that there was significant patterned variability in the emotional well-being adjustment that can be modeled by a linear oscillator model (R2=.77), in addition to an overall positive trend. Applying dynamical systems analyses to capture variability and subsequent well-being trajectories following spousal loss is an important step in delineating the complex adjustment to widowhood.
ISSN:1079-5014
1758-5368
DOI:10.1093/geronb/59.4.P158