Impact of Spousal Death on an Elderly Person (Essay Sample)

Impact of Spousal Death on an Elderly Person
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Impact of Spousal Death on an Elderly Person
Spousal death affects the older adult’s mental, behavioral, biological, and social wellbeing. These effects are closely linked to the risk of a terminal illness. The bereaved spouse’s mortality rate rises in the preceding months after losing a spouse. Death alters the lifestyle of the remaining spouse. This event increases the incidence of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The risk of depression increases with the rise in the mortality rate of the elderly. A study by (Hung et al., 2021) found that the rate of depression reported within the first year after spousal death was six times higher than depression before the spousal death. After losing their spouses, older adults who isolated themselves showed a sharp rise in depressive states.
(Hung et al., 2021) highlights the male sex and the window period of a year after the spouse’s death as the risk factors for depression in elderly adults. The older women who maintained social mobility and positive self-rated mental health status were able to cope and achieve a shorter depression period. Social mobility after spousal death reduces depression in elderly persons. The emotional reaction of elderly adults after spousal death reduces over time: however, their grief period last years more than the average adult. The sorrow caused by a spousal loss influences the onset of depression. During this time, depressive symptoms are present in the older adult's social, psychosocial, behavioral, and physical life aspects.
The depressive symptoms are intense and