The influence of finding meaning and worldview of accepting death on anger among bereaved older spouses

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to identify the course and the mechanisms of the experience of anger over a 4-year period after spousal death among older adults.

Method: The study used a longitudinal prospective design with three-wave panel data (6, 18 and 48 months after spousal death), utilizing the Changing Lives of Older Couples data.

Results: Latent growth modeling analysis showed that conjugally bereaved older adults, on average, experienced a low level of anger at 6 months with a very slight decrease over a 4-year period, but individuals had a different level of anger at 6 months. Finding meaning in the death and worldview of accepting death were the significant predictors for a lower level of anger. Social support predicted a lower level of anger indirectly through finding meaning in the loss.

Conclusion: Although older adults are generally resilient to spousal loss, a substantial minority of people experience psychological distress. The relationships found suggest that it might be possible to reduce the anger of bereaved older spouses by supporting them to find meaning in the loss and by focusing bereavement support on those who have worldview of not accepting death.