Older bereaved spouses' participation in self-help groups

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Publication Type Journal Article
School or College School of Medicine
Department Nursing
Creator Caserta, Michael; Lund, Dale A.
Title Older bereaved spouses' participation in self-help groups
Date 1992
Description This study reports on bereaved spouses' assessments of their participation in twenty-six self-help groups which consisted of eight weekly meetings (short-term; N = 82) or ten monthly meetings in addition to the weekly ones (long-term; N = 52). Regardless of the duration of the groups whether they were led by a professional or a widowed peer, assessments were generally positive. The most commonly reported benefit the participants hoped to gain was emotional support. No statistical differences were noted between those in the short- versus long-term condition or between those in the widow- versus professional-led groups regarding perceived helpfulness of the meetings, level of participation, or the extent to which participants' primary needs were filled. Trends, however, seemed to favor those in the long-term groups. Statistically significant correlations were observed between the number of meetings attended and a composite index of perceived value of the meetings. Major recommendations include the importance of making self-help groups that allow for greater involvement over time available for older bereaved adults, and to make use of both professionals and widowed persons as group leaders.
Type Text
Publisher Baywood Publishing Co.
Volume 25
Issue 1
First Page 47
Last Page 61
Subject Older bereaved spouses
Subject LCSH Bereavement in old age; Widows; Widowers; Self-help groups
Language eng
Bibliographic Citation Lund, D. A., & Caserta, M. S. (1992). Older bereaved spouses' participation in self-help groups. Omega: Journal of Death & Dying, 25(1), 47-61.
Rights Management (c)Baywood Publishing Company
Format Medium application/pdf
Format Extent 2,047,528 bytes
Identifier ir-main,5117
ARK ark:/87278/s6p84wjx
Setname ir_uspace
ID 707504
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6p84wjx
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