Development of loneliness and social isolation after spousal loss: A systematic review of longitudinal studies on widowhood

Kerri Niino; Molly A Patapoff; Brent T Mausbach; Hui Liu; Alison A Moore; Benjamin H Han; Barton W Palmer; Dylan J Jester

doi:10.1111/jgs.19156

Development of loneliness and social isolation after spousal loss: A systematic review of longitudinal studies on widowhood

J Am Geriatr Soc. 2024 Aug 22. doi: 10.1111/jgs.19156. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Kerri Niino¹, Molly A Patapoff^{2

3}, Brent T Mausbach³, Hui Liu^{4

5}, Alison A Moore^{2

6}, Benjamin H Han^{6

7}, Barton W Palmer^{3

8}, Dylan J Jester⁹

Affiliations

¹ John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
² Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
³ Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
⁴ Center on Aging and the Life Course, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.
⁵ Department of Sociology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.
⁶ Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
⁷ Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, Jennifer Moreno Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Diego, California, USA.
⁸ Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), San Diego, California, USA.
⁹ Women's Operational Military Exposure Network Center of Excellence (WOMEN CoE), VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California, USA.

PMID: 39175111
DOI: 10.1111/jgs.19156

Abstract

Background: Spousal loss is a stressful life event that is associated with loneliness and social isolation, both of which affect mental and physical health. The primary objective of this paper was to synthesize longitudinal studies that investigated loneliness and social isolation in widowhood.

Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted using three electronic databases. 26 longitudinal studies published through June 2024 were included for further analysis. Participant characteristics, study design, and key findings were extracted.

Results: Most studies were from the United States or Europe, included more widows than widowers, and assessed loneliness in older adults aged >60 years. Loneliness peaked directly following spousal death, but findings were inconsistent regarding the lasting effects of widowhood. Heterogeneity in the longitudinal trajectories of loneliness was noted, with studies showing linear increases, decreases, or curvilinear relationships over time. Several factors modified the relationship between widowhood and loneliness, including volunteerism, military experience, income, and age. Widowers consistently reported greater loneliness and worse social isolation when compared with widows. Few studies investigated social isolation specifically, but those that did found that social isolation may decrease in widowhood.

Conclusions: As the world grapples with a social pandemic of loneliness and social isolation, widowed adults may be uniquely affected. Few studies investigated the longitudinal trajectory of loneliness and especially social isolation in widowhood, and those that did found heterogenous results. Future work is needed to understand why some widowed adults are uniquely affected by feelings of loneliness and social isolation while others are not, and whether potentially modifiable factors that moderate or mediate this relationship could be leveraged by psychosocial interventions.

Keywords: bereavement; mental health; social disconnection; widowhood.

Publication types

Review

Abstract

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