Crisis or Chronic Strain?: Gender and Age Differences in Sickness Absence following Early Spousal Loss

Food Security and Health Outcomes following Gray Divorce

The study evaluates the immediate and long-term consequences of gray divorce (i.e., marital dissolution after age 50) for the food security, depression, and disability of older Americans. Staggered Difference-in-Difference models were fitted to a nationally representative longitudinal sample of adults aged ≥ 50 years from the Health and Retirement Study, 1998-2018. Food insecurity and disability increase in the year of gray divorce and remain significantly elevated for up to six years or more following the event, consistent with the chronic strain model of gray divorce. Gray divorce has particularly adverse consequences for the food security of older women, while no gender differences were observed for disability. Increasing trends in gray divorce have important negative implications for food security and health of older Americans, particularly women, who appear to be less prepared to financially withstand a marital collapse in older age. Targeted policies to provide nutrition assistance and support in reemployment might be necessary to reduce the burden of food insecurity in the wake of gray divorce among women.

The lived experiences of young adults grieving an intimate partner or spouse: A phenomenological pilot study

This pilot study explored the lived experiences of six young adults between the ages of 18-32 years grieving an intimate partner or spouse. Through Moustakas's (1994) steps of transcendental phenomenological analysis, four key themes revealed a traumatic initial period after the death, the importance of helpful vs dismissive community support, a continuation of meaningful activities and ritual to honor the deceased, and significant shifts in participants' life plans and worldviews. These themes suggest that clinicians may consider facilitating identity-restructuring exercises (e.g., journaling) and inclusive community spaces to support this unique population of grievers. Implications for future research are discussed, including the suggestion to create more targeted inclusion criteria to improve the clinical relevance of results in future studies.

The labor force participation of Indian women before and after widowhood

BACKGROUND

Due to its young age structure and taboos on widow remarriage, India has a large and relatively young female widow population. Many of India’s widows are in prime working ages. India has one of the lowest female labor force participation rates in the world.

OBJECTIVE

This paper calculates the effect of widowhood on the labor force participation of Indian widows. The analysis documents how labor force participation changes associated with widowhood vary by age, caste/religion, relation to head of household, rural/urban status, and region.

METHODS

Using the India Human Development Survey (IHDS), the analysis tracks 3,217 women who experience the loss of their spouse between the two survey waves. Individual fixed effects regressions are used to measure the association between the transition to widowhood and changes in the number of days worked in the past year.

RESULTS

Widowhood was associated with a decrease in days worked for older women; but for women widowed before age 52, widowhood was associated with a large increase in the number of days they worked. Widows who joined the labor force were more likely to gain employment in permanent and salaried work than married women. Widows who resided with their in-laws or who became the household head after their husband’s death saw increases in their work participation whereas those who lived in households headed by their adult children experienced negative widowhood effects on their work participation.

CONTRIBUTION

These findings highlight the important link between marital status and female employment in India.

Lived experience of young widowed individuals: A qualitative study

Young widowhood is a unique experience that has received little in-depth attention in research and clinical settings. The present study examined the lived experiences of young men and women who had lost a spouse. Eleven men and women between the ages of 18 and 49 were interviewed about their experiences postloss using phenomenological methods. After coding the interviews, three themes emerged: (1) relationship prior to death, (2) coping, and (3) concerns. Clinical implications included the need for more accessible resources for young widowed individuals, such as therapeutic services, finances, and childcare.