Predictors of health-related quality of life perspectives, self-esteem, and life satisfactions of older adults following spousal loss: An 18-month follow-up study widows and widowers
Ps. Fry, Predictors of health-related quality of life perspectives, self-esteem, and life satisfactions of older adults following spousal loss: An 18-month follow-up study widows and widowers, GERONTOLOGI, 41(6), 2001, pp. 787-798
Purpose of the Study: The overall purpose of the study was to examine the r
elationship between widowed persons' baseline assessments of self-efficacy
beliefs and their ratings of perceived health-related quality of life, life
satisfactions, and self-esteem obtained in an 18-month follow-up. Design a
nd Method: At Time 1, a survey of sociodemographics, a multidimensional mea
sure of global self-efficacy, and a domain-specific measure of self-efficac
y, having eight subscales of self-efficacy (interpersonal, instrumental, em
otional, social support, nutritional, physical, financial, and spiritual) w
ere administered to a group of 231 widows and widowers to obtain baseline a
ssessments of their self-efficacy beliefs. At Time 2, a follow-up of 211 wi
dows and widowers was conducted to obtain their perceptions of health-relat
ed quality of life, life satisfactions, and levels of self-esteem 24 months
following spousal loss and to assess whether self-efficacy beliefs play a
predictive role in widowed individuals' perceptions of their health-related
quality of life, life satisfactions, and self-esteem. Results: A series of
gender-specific multiple regression analyses models revealed that widows a
nd widowers differ significantly with respect to the relationship between s
pecific domains of self-efficacy and their perceived quality of life in the
longer term following spousal loss Implications: Implications of the findi
ngs are discussed for clinicians and health professionals working with bere
aved spouses in terms of intervention programs for retraining of self-effic
acy.