Jacobs S, Kasl S, Ostfeld A, Berkman L, Charpentier P
Br J Med Psychol. 1986 Dec;59(4):305-10. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8341.1986.tb02698.x.
Age and sex variation in the expression of grief were examined using a structured assessment to test clinically based impressions that widowers by comparison with widows and older bereaved persons by comparison with middle-aged counterparts would report distinctive aspects of grief and less intense distress. One hundred and fourteen acutely bereaved spouses were interviewed one month after a loss. The psychological assessment used was designed to measure several dimensions of grief including separation anxiety, numbness-disbelief and depression. Widows reported significantly more numbness-disbelief and depression than widowers but no difference in the intensity of separation anxiety. Contrary to our hypotheses, no attenuation in the intensity of grief was observed among older bereaved spouses, though they reacted to the loss with less emotional numbness and disbelief of the reality than the middle-aged comparison group. Furthermore, they reported no more neurovegetative or illusory symptoms than middle-aged, bereaved spouses. Older widowers experienced more separation anxiety than younger widowers. It seems possible that these differences account, in part, for age and sex variation in the morbidity and mortality of bereavement.
通过结构化评估来研究悲伤表达中的年龄和性别差异，以检验基于临床的印象，即与寡妇相比，鳏夫以及与中年丧亲者相比，老年丧亲者会报告悲伤的不同方面且痛苦程度较轻。114名新近丧亲的配偶在丧偶一个月后接受了访谈。所采用的心理评估旨在测量悲伤的几个维度，包括分离焦虑、麻木-怀疑和抑郁。寡妇报告的麻木-怀疑和抑郁明显多于鳏夫，但在分离焦虑的强度上没有差异。与我们的假设相反，在老年丧亲配偶中未观察到悲伤强度的减弱，尽管他们对丧亲的反应在情感麻木和对现实的怀疑方面比中年对照组要少。此外，他们报告的神经植物性或虚幻症状并不比中年丧亲配偶更多。老年鳏夫比年轻鳏夫经历更多的分离焦虑。这些差异似乎有可能部分解释了丧亲后发病率和死亡率中的年龄和性别差异。
