Martikainen P, Valkonen T
Department of Sociology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Am J Public Health. 1996 Aug;86(8):1087-93. doi: 10.2105/ajph.86.8_pt_1.1087.
This study examines excess mortality among Finnish persons after the death of a spouse, by sex, the subject's cause of death, duration of bereavement, and age.
The subjects were 1580000 married Finnish persons aged 35 through 84 years who were followed up from 1986 through 1991.
Excess mortality among the bereaved was high from accidental, violent, and alcohol-related causes (50% to 150%), moderate for chronic ischemic heart disease and lung cancer (20% to 35%), and small for other causes (5% to 15%). Excess mortality was greater at short ( < 6 months) rather than long durations of bereavement and among younger rather than older bereaved persons for most causes of death; it was also greater among men that women.
The results are consistent with the hypothesis that excess mortality after the death of a spouse is partly caused by stress. The loss of social support or the inability to cope with stress may explain why men suffer from bereavement more than do women.
本研究按性别、受试者死因、丧亲时长和年龄，调查芬兰配偶死亡者的超额死亡率。
研究对象为158万名年龄在35至84岁之间的已婚芬兰人，随访时间为1986年至1991年。
丧亲者因意外、暴力和与酒精相关原因导致的超额死亡率较高（50%至150%），慢性缺血性心脏病和肺癌导致的超额死亡率中等（20%至35%），其他原因导致的超额死亡率较低（5%至15%）。对于大多数死因，丧亲时长较短（<6个月）时的超额死亡率高于丧亲时长较长时，且丧亲者年龄较轻时的超额死亡率高于年龄较大时；男性的超额死亡率也高于女性。
研究结果与以下假设一致，即配偶死亡后的超额死亡率部分是由压力引起的。社会支持的丧失或应对压力的能力不足，可能解释了男性比女性更易遭受丧亲之痛的原因。
