Bereavement in the elderly: perceived abilities to manage stress.

The purpose of this study was to describe the intensity of feelings reported by bereaved elderly individuals along with their reports of perceived ability to cope. In addition, it was designed to show the extent of agreement between the self-report of the bereaved and the interviewer's clinical assessment of how well the bereaved individual was managing the loss of a spouse. Data collection was done by interview and structured questionnaire, three to five weeks after death of a spouse (N=128). Most of the earlier research dealt with younger populations and cannot be generalized to an aging population. Different responses to widowhood between mail and female have been alluded to in the literature, but many investigators considered only one gender. The present investigation considered both males and females. Demographic data alone did not prove to be an adequate predictor of ability to cope in the initial phase of bereavement. Results of this study showed a trend indicating the older the individual, the lower the intensity of feelings and increased ability to cope. Limitations are discussed regarding the interpretation of these findings. Implications for Nursing; and further research are suggested.