Emotional well-being in recently bereaved widows: a dynamical systems approach.
A dynamical systems approach was used to model the intraindividual variability in emotional well-being following conjugal loss. Well-being in a sample of 19 recently bereaved older adult widows was measured every day for 3 months. The pattern of variability of well-being was hypothesized to be an oscillating process that damps across time (i.e., large swings followed by a gradual damping). Results indicated that there was significant patterned variability in the emotional well-being adjustment that can be modeled by a linear oscillator model (R2=.77), in addition to an overall positive trend. Applying dynamical systems analyses to capture variability and subsequent well-being trajectories following spousal loss is an important step in delineating the complex adjustment to widowhood.
Bisconti
Toni L
TL
University of New Hampshire, Department of Psychology, Conant Hall, Durham, NH 03824, USA. tonib@cisunix.unh.edu
Bergeman
C S
CS
Boker
Steven M
SM
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001601:Bereavement; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D012649:Self Concept; D012917:Social Adjustment; D017805:Widowhood / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data