The application aims to answer 3 questions. 1) What are the health and mental health consequences of spousal illness to death in the other marital partner? 2) What social, psychological and health measures predict and unfavorable outcome for the initially well spouse who becomes widowed or has a gravely ill mate? 3) What are the behavioral and psychosomatic mechanisms by which spousal illness or death exert their unfavorable effects on the other marital partner? To answer these questions, 3 groups of spouses will be identified and followed for 2 years. A """"""""high stress"""""""" group whose spouses are critically ill, hospitalized and die; an """"""""intermediate stress"""""""" group whose spouses are critically ill, hospitalized, survive and are discharged home; and a """"""""low stress"""""""" group whose spouses are hospitalized for non life threatening illness and return home in good health. Data will be collected on 5 occasions, when respondent's spouses become critically ill, about 3 weeks after death or discharge, and 3, 13 and 25 months later. The data to be collected are standard social, psychological and medical questionnaire responses, changes in alcohol use, maintenance of treatment regimens, illness episodes, utilization of medical and hospital facilities, and death certificates when appolicable. Lower intensity follow-up on three occasions, 6 months after the critical illness, 13 and 25 months later, is an alternative means of data collection on socio demographic and key outcome variables when the acutely stressed participant feels unable to take part in the more intensive survey.
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| Jacobs, S; Kasl, S; Ostfeld, A et al. (1986) The measurement of grief: age and sex variation. Br J Med Psychol 59 ( Pt 4):305-10 |
