PubMed Health⌕ Search
Home/Archive/PubMed

PubMed · 337812

The grieving spouse.

M Greenblatt
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Loss of a spouse presents serious risks to the psychological and physical health and well-being of the survivor. This is particularly true for women. Physical disease, hospitalization, and mortality in widows all exceed expected rates. The author reviews the phases of mourning, the factors related to pathological grief, and the ways in which grief is resolved. He describes widow-to-widow care systems, which seem to have substantial merit. Pastoral counseling and in some cases psychiatric care and medication can be helpful, but time is the greatest healer of all.

Explore related subjects

Adaptation, PsychologicalCounselingDefense MechanismsFemaleGriefHospitalizationHumansIdentity CrisisMaleMarriageMortalityPastoral CarePsychophysiologic DisordersSelf-Help GroupsSex FactorsStress, PsychologicalJournal ArticleReview

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

M Greenblatt. 1978. The grieving spouse.. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.135.1.43

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

PubMed1992

[Use of conventional and complementary medical care in patients with chronic non-cancerous pain].

The use of medical care was surveyed among 157 chronic pain patients. Half of them had consulted more than 6 and up to 17 specialists in "conventional" medicine for their pain problem. Moreover, 46% had used "complementary" medicine. They had tried many different "alternative" therapies in 40% of the cases. The users of "complementary" medicine, mostly females, also sought care from a significantly higher number of "conventional" therapists, had more physiotherapy, took drugs more frequently and had tried a larger number of different medications, even though their pain characteristics were similar to those of the other patients studied. Interestingly, they remained significantly more active professionally than patients who had never used "complementary" medicine. These characteristics could be attributed to a more active manner of coping with chronic pain.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

Psychologic adaptation of survivors of childhood cancer.

When adult survivors of childhood cancer were compared with their peers, survivors were found to be at least as well adjusted. Indeed, some evidence was suggestive of survivors having adaptive advantages in everyday life. The survivors reported significantly more positive affect, less negative affect, higher intimacy motivation, more perceived personal control, and greater satisfaction with control in life situations. Despite these apparent strengths associated with surviving childhood cancer, several specific problems were documented. Survivors were more likely than peers to have repeated school grades, to be worried about issues of fertility, and to express dissatisfaction with important relationships. The latter finding was interpreted as reflecting the high expectations of survivors for relationships, based on their difficult yet interpersonally rewarding experiences during times of illness.

Adaptation, Psychological↗