Arens D A
Int J Aging Hum Dev. 1982;15(1):27-40. doi: 10.2190/v13t-0dt1-tx7d-9m9x.
National survey data (NCOA/Harris and Associates, 1974) are analyzed in a causal model to discern differences in the effects of widowhood on the well-being of older men and women. Based on previous research on mental illness, mortality differentials, and the quality of life, it is hypothesized that widowhood has an adverse impact on well-being, and that this relation is stronger for men than women. While the data support an overall decline in well-being of persons who are widowed, a direct effect of widowhood is substantial only for the negative dimension of the well-being of women. Widowed persons experience lower levels of well-being largely because they tend to be older, in poorer health, and less active in social life than their married counterparts. In the case of widowed women, low economic resources is also a key factor. A consistent pattern of greater reductions in levels of social participation in widowhood for men was not evident.
通过因果模型分析了全国性调查数据（美国退休人员协会/哈里斯联合公司，1974年），以辨别丧偶对老年男性和女性幸福感影响的差异。基于先前关于精神疾病、死亡率差异和生活质量的研究，研究假设丧偶对幸福感有不利影响，且这种关系在男性中比女性更强。虽然数据支持丧偶者幸福感总体下降，但丧偶的直接影响仅对女性幸福感的负面维度有显著影响。丧偶者幸福感水平较低主要是因为他们往往比已婚者年龄更大、健康状况更差且社交生活不太活跃。对于丧偶女性而言，经济资源匮乏也是一个关键因素。男性丧偶后社会参与水平大幅下降的一致模式并不明显。
