Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-4401, USA.
Psychol Aging. 2010 Sep;25(3):653-60. doi: 10.1037/a0018870.
Whereas theoreticians are interested in modeling how bereavement contributes to health, the bulk of research on spousal bereavement is conducted after a loss has occurred. Using prospective longitudinal data, this study examined the extent to which positive emotion following spousal loss varies on the basis of preloss characteristics of the bereaved spouse and the marital relationship prior to loss. Analyses are based on the National Survey of Midlife Development (MIDUS), a 2-wave panel survey of adults in the contiguous United States. Results indicate that compared with continuously married controls, widowed participants experienced a significant decline in positive emotion within 3 years following loss. Conversely, no significant declines in positive emotion were evident among widowed persons with greater preloss trait resilience or greater marital strain. Results provide support for the notion that adjustment to loss may be linked to factors that precede actual loss.
理论学家感兴趣的是如何建立模型来研究丧亲对健康的影响，而大多数关于配偶丧亲的研究是在丧亲事件发生之后进行的。本研究使用前瞻性纵向数据，考察了在配偶丧亲前的特征以及丧亲前婚姻关系的基础上，丧偶后积极情绪的变化程度。分析基于美国中部发展全国调查（MIDUS），这是对美国大陆成年人进行的两波面板调查。结果表明，与持续已婚对照组相比，丧偶参与者在丧偶后 3 年内的积极情绪显著下降。相反，在丧亲前特质韧性较高或婚姻压力较大的丧偶者中，积极情绪并没有明显下降。结果为这样一种观点提供了支持，即对丧失的适应可能与实际丧失之前的因素有关。
