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Widowhood and Mortality: A Meta-Analysis

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  • J Robin Moon
  • Naoki Kondo
  • M Maria Glymour
  • S V Subramanian

Abstract

Background: While the "widowhood effect" is well known, there is substantial heterogeneity in the magnitude of effects reported in different studies. We conducted a meta-analysis of widowhood and mortality, focusing on longitudinal studies with follow-up from the time of bereavement. Methods and Findings: A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to calculate the overall relative risk (RR) for subsequent mortality among 2,263,888 subjects from 15 prospective cohort studies. We found a statistically significant positive association between widowhood and mortality, but the widowhood effect was stronger in the period earlier than six months since bereavement (overall RR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.26, 1.57) compared to the effect after six months (overall RR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.18). Meta-regression showed that the widowhood effect was not different for those aged younger than 65 years compared to those older than 65 (P = 0.25). There was, however, a difference in the magnitude of the widowhood effect by gender; for women the RR was not statistically significantly different from the null (overall RR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.08), while it was for men (overall RR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.18, 1.28). Conclusions: The results suggest that further studies should focus more on the mechanisms that generate this association especially among men.

Suggested Citation

  • J Robin Moon & Naoki Kondo & M Maria Glymour & S V Subramanian, 2011. "Widowhood and Mortality: A Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(8), pages 1-9, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0023465
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023465
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    5. Zhao, Yuejun & Inder, Brett & Kim, Jun Sung, 2021. "Spousal bereavement and the cognitive health of older adults in the US: New insights on channels, single items, and subjective evidence," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    6. Kung, Claryn S.J., 2020. "Health in widowhood: The roles of social capital and economic resources," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 253(C).
    7. Peña-Longobardo, L.M. & Rodríguez-Sánchez, B. & Oliva-Moreno, J., 2021. "The impact of widowhood on wellbeing, health, and care use: A longitudinal analysis across Europe," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    8. Sergi Trias-Llimós & Magdalena M. Muszyńska & Antonio D. Cámara & Fanny Janssen, 2017. "Smoking cessation among European older adults: the contributions of marital and employment transitions by gender," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 14(2), pages 189-198, June.
    9. Yang, Fang & Gu, Danan, 2021. "Widowhood, widowhood duration, and loneliness among older adults in China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
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