When the partner dies, one of the most important pillars breaks away.
Grief is natural, but it can also take on damaging proportions—which can lead to death.
Losing a loved one is one of the worst experiences one can have.
Especially a sudden death leaves you shocked to desperate.
The first time after the death is often described by the bereaved as a state in which the shock prevails and you just function.
Planning a funeral, arranging the finances of the deceased, organizing the funeral: the obligations that you have as a relative after a death distract you in the first phase of mourning.
Often the grief only breaks out completely when peace returns and everyday life begins.
Everyone processes the death of a loved one differently.
But the effects on the body and psyche are often similar.
Loss of drive sets in for many, and for some people grief can also turn into a depressive episode.
Physical health also suffers immensely.
Researchers came to the conclusion that the death of a partner in surviving spouses even leads to an increased risk of death.
70 percent more likely: Increased risk of death one year after losing partner
Men are 70 percent more likely to die in the year after losing a spouse than men of the same age who have not lost a spouse.
Women are 27 percent more likely to die, according to a research team led by Alexandros Katsiferis from the Department of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
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When you lose your partner, you have to deal with extreme grief.
This has a negative effect on health.
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If the partner dies shortly after the loss of the spouse, experts speak of the so-called "widowhood effect".
Especially in the case of older couples with previous illnesses, it is reasonable to assume that the bereaved would have died in the not too distant future even if the partner had not died.
But the researchers led by study author Katsiferis were able to show that there are even more influencing factors than old age due to the large scope of the study of almost one million test persons and the long follow-up period of up to six years, informs Der Spiegel.
What was particularly striking was that the youngest study participants (65 to 70 years) had the greatest risk of dying in the year after the loss of a spouse.
"It might be that losing a spouse at a younger age creates additional stress because it's rather uncommon to lose a spouse that young," Kara Dassel, associate dean of the University of Utah's interdisciplinary gerontology program, tells Portal Time quoted.
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Widow Effect: Why Do Some People Die Shortly After Their Partner?
Various factors are responsible for the “widow effect”.
Loneliness is considered very harmful to health.
Robert Waldinger, part-time professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, even goes so far as to say that "loneliness kills—it's as powerful as smoking and alcoholism."
It has also been proven that stress in any form can make you ill in the long term.
Because chronic stress promotes high blood pressure, the trigger for heart attacks and strokes.
Sleep disorders and depression can also be the result, as the health insurance company AOK informs.
Bereavement stress can therefore promote diseases that can lead to death.
More information on the study
"Sex differences in health care expenditures and mortality after spousal bereavement: A register-based Danish cohort study"
Release Date
: March 22, 2023
Period of investigation
: 2011 to 2016
Published
in the specialist journal plos one
Scope
: 924,958 Danish citizens over 65 years of age
Study authors
: International research team led by Alexandros Katsiferis from the Department of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.
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