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A unique study, led by Monash University, has found that when a woman's or man's spouse dies, their loneliness and grief persist regardless of whether they are isolated or supported socially, are self-reliant or healthy.
The study, published in the journal Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, and led by world-leading loneliness expert Dr Rosanne Freak-Poli from Monash University, identified almost 750 women and men who had lost a spouse from a large longitudinal dataset and assessed their loneliness from three years before to three years after spousal loss.
This study revealed that little can protect a person against the grief of the death of a spouse. "We found that loneliness related to spousal bereavement occurred regardless of low social isolation or high social support," Dr Freak-Poli said.
"Additionally, the impact of spousal loss on increasing loneliness is felt uniformly, regardless of gender, wealth, health."
The research team analysed 19 surveys, completed each year by participants of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey. They selected 749 widowed participants and matched 8,418 married individuals for comparison.
While the study found that there were a few subpopulations with some protection against loneliness during spousal-loss, the effects were minimal. For example, men who were wealthier, in terms of income and asset wealth, had some protection against loneliness. However, the benefit of wealth was only around two years post spousal loss, in terms of being less lonely and less socially isolated than widowed men with less wealth.
Co-researcher, Dr Achamyeleh Teshale from Monash University's School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said that their study demonstrated that high self-efficacy, good health and quality of life did not protect individuals from experiencing loneliness following spousal loss.
"Men living in major cities tend to start off less socially isolated than those in regional or remote areas. But interestingly, when they go through bereavement, they're less likely to see improvements in social isolation compared to their regional counterparts," said Dr Teshale.
"For men, the link between bereavement and loneliness was less intense for older men and those born in non-English-speaking countries. However, it hit harder for those living in poverty or in regional and remote areas. For women, the bereavement-loneliness relationship was weakened by older age, and strengthened by factors such as being born in a non-English-speaking country, poverty, employment or volunteering, and having a long-term mental health condition."
According to Dr Freak-Poli, interventions to increase social interaction and support are unlikely to benefit people experiencing spousal bereavement-related loneliness. "What is needed is personalised help with a focus on creating new social connections and routines to form a sense of identity as an individual rather than as a couple," she said.
Co-researcher, Dr Htet Lin Htun, said that many countries were now turning to social prescribing, where healthcare providers recommend activities like cooking classes or walking groups instead of just relying on medication. "It's all about a patient-centred approach, where individuals help design their own plans. For people dealing with the long-term effects of bereavement, this could be a game-changer-helping them rebuild routines and find connection through activities tailored to their needs."
The study found:
- Low social isolation and higher social support did not prevent increased loneliness following widowhood
- Men in major cities were less likely to experience reductions in social isolation during bereavement, despite being less socially-isolated at baseline than men in regional/remote areas
- For men, this bereavement-loneliness relationship was weakened by older age and being born in a non-English-speaking country, but strengthened by poverty and living in a regional/remote areas
- For women, the bereavement-loneliness relationship was weakened by older age, and strengthened by factors such as being born in a non-English-speaking country, poverty, employment or volunteering, and having a long-term mental health condition.
Read the full paper in Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics: Understanding loneliness after widowhood: The role of social isolation, social support, self-efficacy, and health-related factors.
DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2024.105692
