Effects of widowhood on disabled older women (the women's health and aging study)*

This study examined the effects of becoming widowed for older women with pre-existing physical disability. Data from three consecutive interviews from the Women's Health and Aging Study (WHAS) were used to compare depression, quality of life, and functional difficulty for widowed and nonwidowed women. The two groups of 24 women were matched by age, disability level, domains of disability, and race. Repeated measures of analyses of variance (ANOVAs) revealed that, for both groups, depression scores were low and remained relatively stable and they were satisfied with their quality of life at all three time points (T1 = 0-6 months pre-bereavement, T2 = 0-6 months bereaved, T3 = 6-12 months bereaved), with no significant group by time interaction effects. The two groups were no different on their levels of functional difficulty at T1 and T2 but by T3, surprisingly, the widows reported slightly less difficulty. Overall, the findings show that disabled women who became widows demonstrate a noticeable degree of resiliency and hardiness.