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Losing a partner: how to support yourself and others after widowhood

Updated Well Day Media Editorial Team
The short answerLosing a partner is one of life’s hardest stresses. A meta-analysis found that widowhood is linked to about 22% higher risk of death, especially in the first months and among men. Support from family, friends and community during this time may be protective.

Key points

What the research shows

Mortality. A meta-analysis of 124 studies with more than 500 million people found that widowhood was linked to a 22% higher risk of death. The risk was highest in the first 6 months and greater for men than for women (Moon et al., 2011).

Prolonged grief. About 1 in 10 bereaved adults develop prolonged grief disorder after a natural death (Lundorff et al., 2017).

Loneliness and isolation. Both are linked to higher mortality (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2015), and widowhood often brings both.

How to support yourself

How to support others

Frequently asked questions

How can I help a widowed friend?

Offer specific help (meals, rides, errands), keep in touch after the funeral and mention their partner by name.

Are there support groups?

Hospices, faith communities and organizations such as AARP offer grief support groups, many free.

Sources

  1. Moon et al. (2011). Widowhood and Mortality: A Meta-Analysis. PLoS ONE 6(8):e23465. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0023465
  2. Lundorff et al. (2017). Prevalence of prolonged grief disorder in adult bereavement: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders 212:138-149. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.01.030
  3. Holt-Lunstad et al. (2015). Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality. Perspectives on Psychological Science 10(2):227-237. doi:10.1177/1745691614568352

Prepared according to our evidence methodology and the principles of lifestyle medicine. For education only; it does not replace advice from your doctor.

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