Identity Relevance and Disruption as Predictors of Psychological Distress for Widowed and Divorced Women

DeGarmo, David S.

doi:10.2307/353985

Cited by 56 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 47 publications

(31 reference statements)

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“…Our findings in the area of postdivorce physical appearance, especially, support this idea. The relevance of identity to the divorce experience is also central to the work of DeGarmo and Kitson (1996), who report that adjustment to divorce and widowhood are affected by how relevant the marital identity was to women prior to the end of the marriage; in both cases, women must adjust their identity from being someone who is part of a couple to someone who is single. Our research clearly supports the theme in the existing literature that divorce is a catalyst for identity work.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…The women in our study achieved the type of adjustment described by DeGarmo and Kitson (1996) through the changes they made in three distinct areas of their lives: their physical appearances, their physical surroundings, and the artifacts of their marriages. Our research thus adds to the existing literature by illuminating the processes that make postdivorce identity transformation possible.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Finding “Me” Again: Women's Postdivorce Identity Shifts

Gregson

Ceynar

2009

Journal of Divorce & Remarriage

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The purpose of this study was to explore women's identity shifts as they navigate their postdivorce lives. We conducted in-depth, loosely structured interviews with 31 women who had been through at least 1 divorce. Interviews included questions about how women experienced life after divorce, specifically addressing changes they made to separate from the marriage and form a postdivorce identity. Patterns emerged regarding the process of identity change in 3 distinct domains: physical appearance, physical surroundings, and marital artifacts. Results are discussed in terms of the interplay between internal and external changes and the retrospective nature of the identity shifts.Women face unique challenges in the aftermath of divorce. Although both partners need to sort out finances, divide possessions, and reconfigure relationships, the act of changing one's marital status signifies a host of other changes that women face more often and more intensely than men. Among other differences, research shows that divorce results in more negative consequences for women than it does for men, particularly with respect to their

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Finding “Me” Again: Women's Postdivorce Identity Shifts

Gregson

Ceynar

2009

Journal of Divorce & Remarriage

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“…For each family and individual, the impact of marital loss is a unique and personal experience (DeGarmo & Kitson, 1996). A divorced woman has to rede ne herself.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women's Reflections on Divorce-- 10 Years Later

Duffy

Thomas

Trayner

2002

Health Care for Women International

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Ten years after divorce 95 women who participated in an earlier study of divorce were asked to reflect on their lives since their divorce. They were mailed a questionnaire to describe demographic data, self-esteem, control, life assessment, and their lives since divorce. Fewer than half remarried and of those who did, 10 divorced a second time. Slightly more women partnered than married. Their overall assessment of their lives was reported positively. However, 25% felt the same or worse than they had 10 years earlier. Income was the only demographic variable correlated with self-esteem, control, and life assessment. Women used a variety of self-care actions to improve their lives and only six women went to professional therapy. Their lives and some of the actions taken are described.

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“…Much of the work on bereavement, and indeed on widowhood, focuses on the short-term experiences (DeGarmo & Kitson, 1996;Fry, 1998;Stroebe & Schut, 1999). However, reconstructing an identity following bereavement is an ongoing long-term process, as Lopata suggested when she spoke of the "career of widowhood" (1996, p. 15) Although Lopata's career of widowhood may be less relevant for women born in the latter half of the 20th century, it is likely to be relevant for the widows in this study, who were born earlier.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fry (1998) also found positive changes in identity following spousal bereavement, such as an impetus for personal growth and autonomy. DeGarmo and Kitson (1996), in an 18-month longitudinal study of younger American widowed and divorced women, examined two aspects of identity in relationship to psychological distress-identity relevance and identity disruption, that is, the degree to which a woman's identity as a married woman was important to her; and the degree to which the end of the marriage caused identity confusion. They summarized their findings as the higher the identity relevance, the greater the identity disruption.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“You Can't Spend Years with Someone and Just Cast Them Aside”: Augmented Identity in Older British Widows

Bennett

2010

Journal of Women & Aging

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Widowhood forces women to reconstruct their identities. This article discusses how this reconstruction occurs. Interviews were conducted with 65 older widows exploring their experiences: Of those, 81% spoke about identity. This reconstruction can be understood in terms of continuing bonds with the deceased, loosening bonds, and personal growth. Women discussed these transitions in four ways: personal struggle, resistance to social expectations, empowerment, and using rhetoric. The reconstructed identity is not that of wife but rather that of an augmented identity of wife/widow. The tensions between how the widows see themselves, and how society sees them are explored.

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Identity Relevance and Disruption as Predictors of Psychological Distress for Widowed and Divorced Women

Cited by 56 publications

References 47 publications

Finding “Me” Again: Women's Postdivorce Identity Shifts

Finding “Me” Again: Women's Postdivorce Identity Shifts

Women's Reflections on Divorce-- 10 Years Later

“You Can't Spend Years with Someone and Just Cast Them Aside”: Augmented Identity in Older British Widows

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