What Is the Widowhood Effect?

The widowhood effect raises the risk of death for people who survive the death of their spouses. Learn about why this happens and how to help prevent it.

January 17, 2025 · 5 min · 860 words · Samuel Williams

Table of Contents

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is the Widowhood Effect?Who Is Affected?ImpactGetting HelpA Word From Verywell

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Is the Widowhood Effect?

Who Is Affected?

Impact

Getting Help

A Word From Verywell

Close

The widowhood effect is a phenomenon in which older people who have lost a spouse have an increased risk of dying themselves. Research suggests that this risk is highest during the first three months following the death of a spouse.

A 2014 study published in theJournal of Public Healthfound that people whose spouses had just died had a 66% increased chance of dying within the first three months following their spouse’s death.

Although previous research had reported that men face a greater risk than women of dying soon after a spouse, the 2014 study foundequalchances for men and women. It also found that after the first three months, there was still about a 15% increased chance of dying for the surviving spouse.

Meanwhile, women who were dependent on their husbands for financial tasks and home maintenance chores tended to have more post-widowhoodanxiety, the research has shown.

Sudden, unexpected death may be more stressful for a surviving spouse, but this also varies depending on an individual’s situation. The lack of time to prepare often means that the surviving partner abruptly loses both financial and emotional support.

Men tend to experience worse outcomes when their spouse dies abruptly because they lose their primary source of social support. Women appear to experience worse outcomes when a lengthy illness precedes their partner’s death due tochronic stressof caregiving and worry.

Coping With the Life-Changing Loss of a Spouse

Impact of the Widowhood Effect

The effects of grief can be both physical and emotional. Among some of thesymptoms of griefare:

What Is Prolonged Grief Disorder?

No one knows exactly what causes this increased risk of death for the surviving spouse. Researchers have suggested a few explanations to explain the widowhood effect. These include:

In any case, the impact of stress and grief seem to be the common denominator and certainly play a big part.

What’s The Relationship Between Grief and Stress?

Other studies have looked at the cause of death for the widowed spouse to see if people withcertain conditionshave a higher risk of dying. It’s a complicated analysis.

A 2008 study found that widowedmenhave a much higher risk of dying from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, an accident or serious fracture, infection, or sepsis in the months following their wives' deaths. Meanwhile, the same study found that widowedwomenhave a much higher risk of dying from COPD, colon cancer, accidents or serious fractures, or lung cancer in the months following their husbands' deaths.

Help for the Recently Widowed

The loss of a spouse can be devastating, but many older people also bounce back more quickly than some might think. Researchers have shown that they tend to regain their earlier levels of health (both physical and psychological health) within about 18 months of their spouse’s death.

If you are coping with the loss of a partner, take steps that encourage healing. It may be helpful to:

What Is Grief Counseling?

If you are concerned about a loved one who has experienced a loss, there are many ways to provide support. For example:

Best Online Grief Support Groups

The loss of a spouse can be devastating and disorienting. You can feel lost and empty without your life partner. Grief and stress can affect the physical and emotional well-being of the surviving spouse, and the experience of widowhood may alter your own life expectancy. The first few months after a loss are the most critical, and you may need support to help you through the transition. Self-care is important to make sure you stay healthy as you adjust to your new life.

Grief can be complicated and overwhelming making it difficult to do anything. If you, or someone you know, is struggling after the loss of a spouse, there are grief therapists and support groups that can be tremendously helpful.

The 10 Best Online Grief Counseling Services We Tried and Tested

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Moon JR, Glymour MM, Vable AM, Liu SY, Subramanian SV.Short- and long-term associations between widowhood and mortality in the United States: Longitudinal analyses.Journal of Public Health. 2014;36(3). doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdt101

Sullivan AR, Fenelon A.Patterns of widowhood mortality.The Journals of Gerontology: Series B:Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. 2014;69(1). doi:10.1093/geronb/gbt079

Mason TM, Duffy AR.Complicated grief and cortisol response: An integrative review of the literature.Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. 2018;25(3). doi:10.1177/1078390318807966

Ennis J, Majid U.The widowhood effect: Explaining the adverse outcomes after spousal loss using physiological stress theories, marital quality, and attachment.The Family Journal. 2020;28(3). doi:10.1177/1066480720929360

Arizmendi BJ, O’Connor M-F.What is “normal” in grief?Australian Critical Care. 2015;28(2). doi:10.1016/j.aucc.2015.01.005

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