title: Immunity and health after bereavement in relation to coping.
abstract: Coping was examined as an intervening variable between the stressor of bereavement and its effects on subjective health and immunity in thirty-nine recently bereaved Norwegian women. Coping was defined as: "positive response outcome expectancies". Data were collected approximately one month after the death of the husband, and twelve months thereafter. Data collected were: expected coping success (self-scoring), subjective health (UHI), anxiety and depression (GWB), and immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, IgG) with components (C3, C4). Statistics were: frequencies, paired t-test, ANOVA, and MANOVA. Permissions and confidentiality were in accordance with the Helsinki-declaration. Coping was found to be related strongly to health and to health changes. Few relations were found between immunity and health. Coping, health, and anxiety and depression formed a triangle of interrelations. It was concluded that coping defined as "positive response outcome expectancies" may be a predictor of the adaptational outcome after a crisis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Lindstrøm
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001601:Bereavement; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D017805:Widowhood / Q000523:psychology*