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Long-term effects of widowhood after terminal cancer: a Swedish nationwide follow-up

Department of Clinical Cancer Epidemiology, Institute of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Box 4402, 10268 Stockholm, Sweden, Unnur.Valdimarsdottir{at}onkpat.ki.se

Ásgeir R. Helgason

Department of Clinical Cancer Epidemiology, Institute of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Box 4402, 10268 Stockholm, Sweden, Stockholm Centre for Public Health, Box 11891, Stockholm, Sweden

Carl-Johan Fürst

Stockholms Sjukhem Foundation, Mariebergsgatan 22, 11235 Stockholm, Sweden

Jan Adolfsson

Department of Clinical Cancer Epidemiology, Institute of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Box 4402, 10268 Stockholm, Sweden, Oncological Centre, M:08, Karolinska Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden

Gunnar Steineck

Department of Clinical Cancer Epidemiology, Institute of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Box 4402, 10268 Stockholm, Sweden, Gunnar.Steineck{at}onkpat.ki.se, Stockholm Centre for Public Health, Box 11891, Stockholm, Sweden

Aims: The authors investigated whether becoming a widow after the death of a husband from cancer results in long-term psychological or physical morbidity.

Method: In April and May 1999, an attempt was made to contact all of the 506 women who were living with men dying of prostate cancer in 1996 or of urinary bladder cancer in 1995 or 1996, as well as 287 population controls.

Results: Completed questionnaires were received from 379 of the widows and 220 of the controls. Widowhood was associated with a low or moderate subjective quality of life (relative risk [RR]=1.4, 95% confidence interval 1.2—1.7), low or moderate psychological well-being (RR=1.8, 1.4—2.3), anxiety (RR=1.9, 1.3—2.7), depression (RR=2.2, 1.6—2.9), sleep disturbances (RR=1.9, 1.5—2.4), diabetes (RR=3.5, 1.2—7.9), and economic dissatisfaction (RR=1.6, 1.3—2.0).

Conclusion: An excess risk of psychological morbidity, diabetes mellitus and dissatisfaction with the economic situation was found in the widowed population.

Key Words: adaptation • chronic • death • illness • morbidity • psychological • widowhood.

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 31, No. 1, 31-36 (2003)
DOI: 10.1080/14034940210165109


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