LATE ADULTHOOD RELATIONSHIPS

Review

• Normal aging: slowdown, memory errors

• Priming, explicit memory

• Dementia

• Alzheimer’s causes, progression, protective factors

• Creativity & wisdom

Self-Theories• Older adults seek to be themselves

• Integrity vs Despair

• Integrate unique experiences with vision of community

• Despair about pain, uncertain future, inescapable death

• Identity Theory

• Identity challenged in old age

• Personal objects become more meaningful

Dynamic Theories

• Focus on transformation

• Life is active, ever-changing, occurring within social context that are also changing

• Continuity Theory

• Goal of late adulthood is adaptive change

• Traits, characteristics, behaviors may be expressed in different ways as we age

Stratification Theories• Social forces affect individuals’ ability to function in late life

• Age: age segregation in Western cultures; belief that disengagement from society is norm

• Gender: higher rates of female poverty in old age; higher rates of loneliness, depression, and suicide among old men

• Ethnicity: correlation between discrimination and poverty & frailty in old age

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• Widowhood is potentially most disruptive transition of a woman’s life (Bradsher, 2001)

• ½ of women 65+ are widows (Hanson & Hayslip, 2000)

• Literature reviewed and current study focus on widowhood in the context of heterosexual marriage

5Introduction to Widowhood

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• Loss of spouse (Fry, 2001)

• Loss of status (e.g., van den Hoonaard, 2005)

• Loss of social networks (e.g., Bennett, 2005)

• Loss of self-esteem (e.g., Walters & Charles, 1999)

Widowhood as Layers of Loss

Widows and Widowers• Feminization of spousal bereavement▫ 50% of women; 12% of men

• Better for women▫ Larger, in-place social networks▫ Men rely on female partner for social & practical

support▫ Marriage related to more health benefits for men

• Better for men▫ Women report higher distress; correlated with

poorer psychological adjustment▫ Older women & poverty

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• Drops in self-esteem are not automatically indicated in widowhood (Fry, 2001)

• Serves as buffer against depression and stressors (Aneshensel, Botticello, & Yamamoto-Mitani, 2004)

Benefit of Self-Esteem in Widowhood

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• 13 Women• Reside in Green Valley, AZ

• 11 full-time; 2 “snowbirds”

15Methods - Participants

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Variable Mean Standard Deviation

Age (years) 72 6.24

Years as widows 3.13 3.22

Years married 41.49 13.72

Years of education 16.54 1.76

Descriptive Statistics

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4 Themes• The Widowhood Experience• Self-Esteem• Relationships• Independence

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The Widowhood Experience• It’s a whole new world• Fog• Being alone• Life goes on

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It’s a whole new world• As I said, it’s a whole new world.

Nothing is the same...That was a big turning point. Such a little thing, but it was like cold water in my face. Things will never be the same. Not that they can’t be good, but they’ll never be the same. (Sarah, 69)

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Fog• So it was like [deep breath in], you

know you’re kind of, well, like in a fog, not really accepting it. (Janet, 73)

Being alone• “I’m alone and

it’s so sad, and all that. I have moments that you know, I feel alone.” (Marie, 82)

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Life goes on• “It is not the end of your life. It’s the

beginning, sort of, of a new life, I guess.” (Loretta, 67)

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Self-Esteem• Confidence & Positivity• Sources

• Women & widows• Friendships• Family• Faith• Leisure activities

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Confidence and Positivity• I think self-esteem is confidence in

your ability to um do things adequately and appropriately. (Melissa, 77)

• “Feeling good about yourself, feeling you’re OK.” (June, 63)

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Sources of Self-Esteem• Women: Well, women. Women are marvelous. And I never

really had the connection that I had before this happened, because it’s different. (Sarah, 69)• Friendships: Well, my friends have been just wonderful.

My friends have wined and dined me, taken me places, done all kinds of things with me, come and stayed with me. (Samantha, 70)• Family: my family is very important, even though they’re

not here. (Patty, 75)• Faith: And now I feel really good about being there, and

being involved in the activities at the church, so that’s been a real big help for me. Just to be closer to people that believe the same way that I do. (Joy, 66)• Leisure: Bridge, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

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Relationships• Need to extend yourself• Exclusion from couples

Need to extend yourself• But you have to do, to extend

yourself, too. People don’t just come to you, you have to extend yourself. (Patty, 75)

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Exclusion from couples• Well, I think they [other people] have

to know that in our society, widowhood means you cannot associate with, you will be rejected by married couples. Uh, you just have to understand that our society does not accept widows or divorcees with married couples. (Blythe, 80)

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Independence• Preparation for widowhood• Independence during marriage

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Preparation for widowhood• But I do know a lot of women also,

that don’t know mechanics of uh you know how to take care of the car. They need to be very involved in the nuts and bolts of what it takes to live. But I think that’s the preparation that all women of our age need to do. (Sarah, 69)

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Independence during marriage• I’ve always done that, even through my married life. I

went to a lot of things by myself, so I was kind of primed for it. (June, 63)

• I have been an independent person who supervised a large number of employees. Have lived alone before and traveled a lot by myself, so most of the things I’m dealing with now aren’t the first time I’ve ever dealt with them. But I I definitely think that the fact that I have done a lot of things on my own in life and had a responsible job and did uh uh, have traveled and done a lot of things on my own helps me to know that I can get along. (Samantha, 70)

Self-Esteem in Widowhood• Stability of self-esteem, contrary to research

about drops in self-esteem• Stability in sources, with increased emphasis on

women and women’s friendship• External sources, noncontingent definitions

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• Dynamic theory• Development and identity formation in old age

(Chapman, 2004; Ryff, 1991)

• Continuity: stable self-esteem sources, independence• Brandtstädter and Greve (1994)

• Change: being alone, relationships, exclusion

Essence: Constructing Multiple Identities

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Considering Demographics• Physical Health

• Independently living women• Increased physical health correlated with higher self-esteem (Dionigi &

Cannon, 2009)

• SES and Education• High school+; retirement community• Low SES related to increased morbidity/mortality for mental health

disorders (Anderson & Armstead, 1995)

• Ethnicity• Self-identified Caucasion, Euro-American• Racial discrimination related to negative mental health consequences

(Williams, Lavizzo-Mournay, & Warren, 1994)