Martikainen P, Valkonen T
Department of Sociology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Epidemiology. 1998 Sep;9(5):530-4.
In this paper, we estimate the effects of the death of a spouse on the mortality of the survivor in different education and income groups. These socioeconomic resources may buffer the harmful effects of the stressful life event of the loss of one's spouse. The data come from a prospective study of mortality among all 35- to 74-year-old married Finnish persons. Follow-up was established by record linkage to death certificate registers for 1986-1991 (about 86,000 deaths, of which almost 5,500 occurred among the bereaved). The relative mortality after the death of one's spouse was broadly similar in different education and income groups. Absolute differences in mortality rates between bereaved and nonbereaved persons were larger in the lower end of the social spectrum, however. This pattern held for four broad categories of death: both sexes and two age groups (35-64 years and 65-74 years). The degree to which socioeconomic resources buffer the effects of death of spouse depends on whether it is assessed in terms of rate differences or rate ratios. Nevertheless, regardless of measurement choice, the effects of bereavement exist in all socioeconomic groups analyzed in this study. Furthermore, because of the high absolute level of mortality, the burden of excess mortality experienced after the death of one's spouse is heavier in the lower social strata.
在本文中，我们估计了配偶死亡对不同教育程度和收入群体中幸存者死亡率的影响。这些社会经济资源可能会缓冲配偶离世这一压力性生活事件的有害影响。数据来自一项对所有35至74岁已婚芬兰人的死亡率进行的前瞻性研究。通过与1986 - 1991年死亡证明登记册的记录链接建立随访（约86,000例死亡，其中近5,500例发生在丧偶者中）。在不同教育程度和收入群体中，配偶死亡后的相对死亡率大致相似。然而，在社会阶层较低端，丧偶者与未丧偶者之间的死亡率绝对差异更大。这种模式适用于四类广泛的死亡情况：男女两性以及两个年龄组（35 - 64岁和65 - 74岁）。社会经济资源缓冲配偶死亡影响的程度取决于它是根据率差还是率比来评估。尽管如此，无论测量方式如何选择，在本研究分析的所有社会经济群体中，丧偶的影响都存在。此外，由于死亡率的绝对水平较高，配偶死亡后经历的额外死亡负担在社会较低阶层更重。
