Widowhood and mortality: a meta-analysis.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies
PubMed 21858130 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0023465
What was done
A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted across 15 prospective cohort studies with 2,263,888 total participants to calculate relative risk (RR) for mortality following spousal bereavement. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses evaluated differences by time since bereavement (<6 months vs. >6 months), age (<65 vs. ≥65 years), and gender.
What was found
Widowhood showed a statistically significant positive association with mortality. The excess risk was notably higher in the first six months after bereavement (RR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.26–1.57) compared to after six months (RR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.10–1.18). The effect did not differ significantly by age group (<65 vs. ≥65 years, P = 0.25). By gender, men experienced a statistically significant increase in mortality (RR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.18–1.28), whereas the effect in women was not statistically significantly different from the null (RR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.00–1.08).
Why it matters
This study provides large-scale pooled evidence quantifying the widowhood effect, demonstrating that excess mortality risk is concentrated in the acute period following spousal loss and is markedly stronger among widowed men than widowed women.
Limits
All included studies were observational cohorts, leaving potential for residual confounding from shared lifestyle, environmental, or socioeconomic factors. The abstract does not report specific causes of death, geographic distribution of cohorts, or the degree of heterogeneity across the included studies.
Cited by
- supports Following the death of a spouse in heterosexual couples, women generally cope better than men, who experience significantly worse outcomes.