The Widowhood Effect: Explaining the Adverse Outcomes After Spousal Loss Using Physiological Stress Theories, Marital Quality, and Attachment

Ennis, Jeffrey; Majid, Umair

doi:10.1177/1066480720929360

Cited by 14 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…This form of cognitive reframing and assimilation can also result in fewer episodes of intrusive thoughts and images. Intrusive thoughts can contribute to the distress experienced by the suicidebereaved and are also a common symptom of complicated grief, thus, addressing this issue is vital in minimizing bereavement stress (Ennis & Majid, 2020). Dunn and Morrish-Vidners (1987) found that respondents in their study seemed eager to talk in detail.…”

Section: Unexpected Trauma and The Assumptive Worldmentioning

confidence: 97%

Social Interactions While Grieving Suicide Loss: A Qualitative Review of 58 Studies

2021

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The effects of suicide are both widespread and long-lasting in the lives of those closest to the deceased. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents. Some research has shown that families who lose someone to suicide are at a higher risk of complicated grief compared to those bereaving from other types of losses. These risks may be emphasized given the socio-cultural context surrounding suicide that may problematize the grieving process. In this review, we analyzed 58 qualitative studies describing the experiences of family who lost someone to suicide. We discuss how negative social interactions due to cultural views towards suicide impacted their grieving process. We provide an integrative interpretation of the experiences of family who lost someone to suicide across the following themes: social withdrawal, family communication approaches, role change, cultural attitudes, the role of professional support, interactions with health care providers, and interactions with religious institutions. We examine these findings using the Assumptive World Theory which proposes that humans seek preservation of their reality by using their perceptions of the past to establish expectations for the future. We find that suicide loss is an experience that challenges people's assumptive worlds; suicide loss can be an unexpected trauma that can have a “shock effect” on the assumptive worlds of the bereaved. The assumptive worlds of relatives grieving suicide loss face unique challenges compared to other forms of bereavement because of ambiguity in social norms surrounding suicide that influence interactions.

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Section: Unexpected Trauma and The Assumptive Worldmentioning

confidence: 97%

Social Interactions While Grieving Suicide Loss: A Qualitative Review of 58 Studies

2021

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“…For example, one study found that caregivers of terminally ill patients had higher mortality when their family did not use hospice services compared to those who did, indicating that caregiving confers unwanted burden that might also impact the physical health of caregivers (Christakis & Iwashyna 2003). While chronic physiological stress may cause an increased risk of adverse physical health outcomes, the quantity and quality of resources available to the grieving caregiver as well as the relationship between caregiver and their loved one may explain why certain adverse physical health outcomes persist years after loss (Ennis & Majid, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing Anticipatory Grief in Family and Partners: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Meta-Synthesis

Majid

Akande

2021

The Family Journal

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Almost every person is affected by grief at some point during their lifetime. However, the majority of grief research has focused on the experiences and perspectives of individuals after loss. Grief can be expected or unexpected depending on the nature of loved one’s death. Like postdeath grief, individuals who expect the impending loss of a loved one may feel uncertainty, fear, and sadness, which can lead to a number of adverse outcomes on their health. Some research labels the predeath experience as anticipatory grief (AG). In this qualitative systematic review, we analyze 13 studies to examine how caregivers of terminally ill patients experience AG. First, we identify the four stages of AG: time of diagnosis, transition to hospice care, nearing death, and the moment of death. We highlight the characteristics of each stage and the coping mechanisms that family used to navigate them. Second, we discuss how AG influences family and partner roles and responsibilities. We also examine the interplay between caregiving motivations and activities, and the four stages of AG. We consider the relationship between AG, caregiving, and postdeath adjustment, including physical and mental health outcomes.

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“…Losing a spouse to death is a life-changing event, with varying implications for survivors. In addition to grief over losing a loved one, bereaved spouses' sense of loss may be compounded by multiple stressors stemming from spousal death, such as loneliness, taking on new roles and responsibilities (e.g., being a single parent and a breadwinner), and adjusting to the reality of losing a primary support system in the deceased spouse (e.g., Lowe and McClement, 2010;Ennis and Majid, 2020). Social support is one of the key resources for surviving spouses when coming to terms with spousal death.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Support Experiences of Spousally Bereaved Individuals in a South African Township Community: The Botho/Ubuntu Perspective

Thomas

2021

Front. Psychol.

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Bereavement is a deeply personal experience that is also shaped by one’s socio-cultural context. This qualitative study explored the social support experiences and needs of spousally bereaved individuals in a South African township. The botho/ubuntu philosophical framework was used to interpret participants’ experiences in this regard. Six ethnically diverse, bereaved spouses aged 55–67years, residing in a predominantly Setswana-speaking township in the North West Province of South Africa, were interviewed. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. An indigenous knowledge consultant was interviewed to situate participant experiences pertaining to mourning rites and traditions within the indigenous socio-historical and contemporary cultural context. The following themes were identified: (i) Sources of social support during bereavement; (ii) Inadequate social support after spousal death; (iii) The need for grief counseling; and (iv) Social restrictions and systematic isolation during the traditional mourning period: “It is as if you smell.” Broadly, bereaved spouses drew on their support networks at various stages of their bereavement, which included family members, in-laws, friends, burial societies, their surrounding communities, and religious communities and figures. However, some experienced ostracization and stigmatization during the mourning period, which was invariably longer for the widows in this study, in line with conventions across Black South African cultures. Some participants reported withdrawal of support by their in-laws and harmful attitudes and assumptions rooted in patriarchal ideology by family members and in-laws. As pertaining to botho/ubuntu, the study also showed that communality or relationality entailed both positive and negative aspects, including support, co-operation, care, lack of support, stigmatization, and ostracization. Unlike conventional conceptualizations of botho/ubuntu, the study findings illustrate the human experience as comprising varying dimensions of relationality, ranging from harmony to disharmony. Findings regarding the negative aspects of communality are compatible with those relating to relational interdependence in African and East Asian settings. The findings also expand our understanding of the nature of disharmony alongside harmony in interdependent socio-cultural contexts.

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The Widowhood Effect: Explaining the Adverse Outcomes After Spousal Loss Using Physiological Stress Theories, Marital Quality, and Attachment

Cited by 14 publications

References 36 publications

Social Interactions While Grieving Suicide Loss: A Qualitative Review of 58 Studies

Social Interactions While Grieving Suicide Loss: A Qualitative Review of 58 Studies

Managing Anticipatory Grief in Family and Partners: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Meta-Synthesis

Social Support Experiences of Spousally Bereaved Individuals in a South African Township Community: The Botho/Ubuntu Perspective

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