Social Comparisons and Well-Being Following Widowhood and Divorce

Abstract

A sample of 196 participants (mean age 45.94 years, 54% women) completed inventories assessing upward and downward positive and negative social comparisons and general well-being. Widows and widowers were higher on upward negative comparisons than divorced or married persons while being lower on well-being measures of life satisfaction and psychosocial adjustment. The divorced were higher than the widowed or married people on upward or downward positive social comparisons. Upward negative social comparisons were associated with lower levels of well-being measures whereas upward positive social comparisons showed an opposite tendency. Upward negative comparisons were found to mediate the effects of widowhood on well-being. It is concluded that cognitive adaptation contributes to the well-being of widowed and divorced persons.

Notes

Note. Economic/health status (1 = very good; 5 = not good at all). ^a,b Means with the same superscript letter do not differ significantly (p = .05) in a Scheffe test.

∗p  < .01. ∗∗ p  < .001. ∗∗∗ p  < .0001.

∗p  < .05. ∗∗ p  < .01.

Note. Health/economic status (1 =  not good at all ; 5 =  very good ); Marital status 1 (0 =  married or widowed ; 1 =  divorced ) ; Marital status 2: (0 =  married or divorced ; 1 =  widowed).

∗p  < .05. ∗∗ p  < .01. ∗∗∗ p  < .001.

Note. Health/economic status (1 =  not good at all ; 5 =  very good ); Marital status 1 (0 =  married or widowed ; 1 =  divorced); Marital status 2: (0 =  married or divorced ; 1 =  widowed).

∗p  < .05. ∗∗ p  < .01. ∗∗∗ p  < .001.

Note. Health/economic status (1 =  not good at all ; 5 =  very good ); Marital status (0 =  married ; 1 =  widowed ).

⁺ p  < .10. ∗ p  < .05. ∗∗ p  < .01. ∗∗∗ p  < .001.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Keren Michael

Keren Michael is now affiliated with the Department of Human Services at the Max Stern Academic College of Emek Yezreel, Emek Yezreel, Israel.