Loneliness Following Widowhood: The Role of the Military and Social Support

Brittany M King, Dawn C Carr, Miles G Taylor and Deborah Carr

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2021, vol. 76, issue 2, 403-414

Abstract: ObjectivesIncreased loneliness is a common consequence of widowhood in later life. However, individuals with high levels of perceived social support from friends tend to cope more effectively following major social losses like widowhood. Military service is associated with cultivation of strong social support structures. This effect may not only influence those who serve, but also their spouses. Roughly half of older women today are married to veterans, which could shape how they cope with widowhood. We tested two hypotheses: (a) widows of veterans will be less lonely following widowhood compared to their nonveteran counterparts, and (b) this effect will be explained by perceived social support from friends.MethodsWe used the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to examine changes in loneliness following widowhood among wives of veterans and nonveterans. We used Ordinary Least Squares regression and mediation tests to address our hypotheses.ResultsNet of baseline differences, widows of veterans reported statistically lower levels of loneliness (p

Keywords: Bereavement; Life course analysis; Social networks; Veteran widows (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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The Journals of Gerontology: Series B is currently edited by Psychological Sciences - S. Duke Han, PhD and Social Sciences - Jessica A Kelley, PhD, FGSA

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