This paper examines two issues: the role of the adult child network in task support to widows, and whether widows' attitudes toward independence result in lower levels of task support. Data on recently widowed women suggest that many are quite self-sufficient; however, in those areas where support is needed, they largely rely on children. Widows' past experiences and attitudes toward independence influence the amount of overall help they receive, whereas income, number of children, and perceived willingness of children to help affect the proportion of help that comes from children.
To date, studies of spousal anticipatory grief have resulted in equivocal results. One complicating factor is that a variety of events are apt to occur concomitantly with forewarning of a spouse's death; these events may facilitate faster recovery from grief. It was hypothesized that being forewarned, being a caregiver, and having had discussions with the husband on various topics before his death contribute to faster psychological adjustment for an older widow. Results provide evidence that both forewarning of the spouse's death and the couple's discussion of the wife's future financial circumstances are related to higher levels of positive affect in widowhood but do not relate to negative affect.
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