Widowhood and loneliness among Chinese older adults: the role of education and gender

References

• Aartsen, M., & Jylha, M. (2011). Onset of loneliness in older adults: Results of a 28-year prospective study. European Journal of Ageing, 8(1), 31–38. doi:10.1007/s10433-011-0175-7
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bennet, K. M., & Victor, C. (2012). He wasn’t in this chair’: What loneliness means to widowed older people. International Journal of Ageing and Later Life, 7(1), 33–52. doi:10.3384/ijal.1652-8670.127133
   Google Scholar
• Carnelley, K. B., Wortman, C. B., & Kessler, R. C. (1999). The impact of widowhood on depression: Findings from a prospective survey. Psychological Medicine, 29(5), 1111–1123. doi:10.1017/S0033291799008971
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Carr, D. (2020). Mental health of older widows and widowers: Which coping strategies are most protective? Aging & Mental Health, 24(2), 291–299. doi:10.1080/13607863.2018.1531381
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Carr, D., & Boerner, K. (2009). Do spousal discrepancies in marital quality assessments affect psychological adjustment to widowhood? Journal of Marriage and Family, 71(3), 495–509. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2009.00615.x
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Carr, D., House, J. S., Kessler, R. C., Nesse, R. M., Sonnega, J., & Wortman, C. (2000). Marital quality and psychological adjustment to widowhood among older adults: A longitudinal analysis. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 55(4), S197–S207. doi:10.1093/geronb/55.4.S197
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Carr, D. C., Kail, B. L., Matz-Costa, C., & Shavit, Y. Z. (2018). Does becoming a volunteer attenuate loneliness among recently widowed older adults? The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 73(3), 501–510. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbx092
   Google Scholar
• Carr, D. C., Urena, S., & Taylor, M. G. (2018). Adjustment to widowhood and loneliness among older men: The influence of military service. The Gerontologist, 58(6), 1085–1095. doi:10.1093/geront/gnx110
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Carstensen, L. L., Isaacowitz, D. M., & Charles, S. T. (1999). Taking time seriously: A theory of socioemotional selectivity. American Psychologist, 54(3), 165–181. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.54.3.165
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Chappell, N. L. (1991). Living arrangements and sources of caregiving. Journal of Gerontology, 46(1), S1–S8. doi:10.1093/geronj/46.1.S1
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Cornwell, B. (2011). Independence through social networks: Bridging potential among older women and men. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 66B(6), 782–794. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbr111
   Google Scholar
• Cutler, D. M., & Lleras-Muney, A. (2006). Education and health: Evaluating theories and evidence. Working paper 12352. http://www.nber.org/papers/w12352
   Google Scholar
• Dahlberg, L., Andersson, L., Mckee, K. J., & Lennartsson, C. (2015). Predictors of loneliness among older women and men in Sweden: A national longitudinal study. Aging & Mental Health, 19(5), 409–417. doi:10.1080/13607863.2014.944091
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• De Jong Gierveld, J. (1987). Developing and testing a model of loneliness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 119–128. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.53.1.119
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Dong, X., & Chen, R. (2017). Gender differences in the experience of loneliness in U.S. Chinese older adults. Journal of Women & Aging, 29(2), 115–125. doi:10.1080/08952841.2015.1080534
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Dykstra, P. A., & Fokkema, T. (2007). Social and emotional loneliness among divorced and married men and women: Comparing the deficit and cognitive perspectives. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 29(1), 1–12. doi:10.1080/01973530701330843
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Dykstra, P. A., van Tilburg, T. G., & Gierveld, J. D J. (2005). Changes in older adult loneliness. Research on Aging, 27(6), 725–747. doi:10.1177/0164027505279712
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Gu, D. (2008). General data assessment of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey in 2002. In: Y. Zeng, D. Poston, D. A. Vlosky, D. Gu, Y. Zeng, D. Poston, & D. A. Vlosky (Eds.), Healthy longevity in China: Demographic, socioeconomic, and psychological dimensions (pp. 39–59). Dordrecht: Springer.
   Google Scholar
• Gu, D., & Dupre, M. E. (2008). Assessment of reliability of mortality and morbidity in the 1998 – 2002 CLHLS waves. In: Y. Zeng, D. Poston, D. A. Vlosky, & D. Gu (Eds.), Healthy longevity in China: Demographic, socioeconomic, and psychological dimensions (pp. 99–115). Dordrecht: Springer.
   Google Scholar
• Gu, D., Dupre, M. E., Sautter, J., Zhu, H., Liu, Y., & Yi, Z. (2009). Frailty and mortality among Chinese at advanced ages. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 64B(2), 279–289. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbn009
   Google Scholar
• Ha, J. H., Carr, D., Utz, R. L., & Nesse, R. (2006). Older adults’ perceptions of intergenerational support after widowhood. Journal of Family Issues, 27(1), 3–30. doi:10.1177/0192513X05277810
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ha, J.-H., & Ingersoll-Dayton, B. (2011). Moderators in the relationship between social contact and psychological distress among widowed adults. Aging & Mental Health, 15(3), 354–363. doi:10.1080/13607863.2010.519325
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Jopp, D., Rott, C., & Oswald, F. (2008). Valuation of life in old and very old Age: The role of sociodemographic, Social, and health resources for positive adaptation. The Gerontologist, 48(5), 646–658. doi:10.1093/geront/48.5.646
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Lagona, F., & Zhang, Z. (2010). A missing composite covariate in survival analysis: A case study of the Chinese Longitudinal Health and Longevity Survey. Statistics in Medicine, 29, 248–261. doi:10.1002/sim.3773
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Lee, W. K. M. (2003). Women and retirement planning: Towards the “feminization of poverty in an aging Hong Kong.” Journal of Women & Aging, 15(1), 31–53. doi:10.1300/J074v15n01_04
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Li, Y. N., & Wang, F. (2013). The assortative mating and changes in household income: 1991-2009. Population and Economics, (6), 39–46. (In Chinese)
   Google Scholar
• Lopata, H. Z. (1973). Self-identity in marriage and widowhood. The Sociological Quarterly, 14(3), 407–418. doi:10.1111/j.1533-8525.1973.tb00869.x
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Lopata, H. Z. (2000). Widowhood: Reconstruction of self-concept and identities. In N. Denzin (Ed.), Studies in symbolic interaction (Studies in symbolic interaction) (Vol. 23, pp. 261–275). Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. 10.1016/S0163-2396(00)80041-1
   Google Scholar
• Luanaigh, C. Ó., & Lawlor, B. A. (2008). Loneliness and the health of older people. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 23(12), 1213–1221. doi:10.1002/gps.2054
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Lucas, T. W., Wendorf, C. A., Imamoglu, E. O., Shen, J., Parkhill, M. R., Weisfeld, C. C., & Weisfeld, G. E. (2004). Marital satisfaction in four cultures as a function of homogamy, male dominance and female attractiveness. Sexualities, Evolution & Gender, 6(2-3), 97–130. doi:10.1080/14616660412331327518
   Google Scholar
• Luo, S., & Klohnen, E. C. (2005). Assortative mating and marital quality in newlyweds: A couple-centered approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88(2), 304–326. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.88.2.304
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Luo, Y., Hawkley, L. C., Waite, L. J., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2012). Loneliness, health, and mortality in old age: A national longitudinal study. Social Science & Medicine, 74, 907–914. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.11.028
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Luo, Y., & Waite, L. J. (2014). Loneliness and mortality among older adults in China. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 69(4), 633–645. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbu007
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ma, L., Yuan, H., & Gu, D. (2019). Assortative mating: A review of theoretical and empirical research. Population and Economics, (3), 1–15. in Chinese)
   Google Scholar
• Mirowsky, J., & Ross, C. E. (2003a). Social causes of psychological distress (2nd ed.). New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
   Google Scholar
• Mirowsky, J., & Ross, C. E. (2003b). Social institutions and social change. Education, social status, and health. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine de Gruyter.
   Google Scholar
• Monden, C. W., van Lenthe, F., De Graaf, N. D., & Kraaykamp, G. (2003). Partner’s and own education: Does who you live with matter for self-assessed health, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption? Social Science & Medicine, 57(10), 1901–1912. doi:10.1016/S0277-9536(03)00055-8
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Patterson, A. C., & Veenstra, G. (2010). Loneliness and risk of mortality: A longitudinal investigation in Alameda County, California. Social Science & Medicine, 71(1), 181–186. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.03.024
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Perkins, J. M., Lee, H.-Y., James, K. S., Oh, J., Krishna, A., Heo, J., … Subramanian, S. V. (2016). Marital status, widowhood duration, gender and health outcomes: A cross-sectional study among older adults in India. BMC Public Health, 16(1), 1032. doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3682-9
   Google Scholar
• Perlman, D. L., & Peplau, A. (1981). Toward a social psychology of loneliness. In R. Gilmour and S. Duck (Eds.), Personal relationships 3: Personal relationships in disorder (pp. 31–43). London: Academic Press.
   Google Scholar
• Pinquart, M., & Sorensen, S. (2001). Influences on loneliness in older adults: A meta-analysis. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 23(4), 245–266. doi:10.1207/153248301753225702
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Robles, T. F., & Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. (2003). The physiology of marriage: Pathways to health. Physiology & Behavior, 79(3), 409–416. doi:10.1016/S0031-9384(03)00160-4
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ross, C. E., & Mirowsky, J. (2006). Sex differences in the effect of education on depression: Resource multiplication or resource substitution? Social Science & Medicine, 63(5), 1400–1413. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.03.013
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Schaan, B. (2013). Widowhood and depression among older Europeans—The role of gender, caregiving, marital quality, and regional context. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 68(3), 431–442. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbt015
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Schoenborn, C. A. (2004). Marital status and health: United states, 1999-2002. Advance data from vital and health statistics. Advances Data, 15(351), 1–32.
   Google Scholar
• Segel-Karpas, D., Ayalon, L., & Lachman, M. E. (2018). Loneliness and depressive symptoms: The moderating role of the transition into retirement. Aging & Mental Health, 22(1), 135–140. doi:10.1080/13607863.2016.1226770
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Simon, R. (2002). Revisiting the relationships among gender, marital status and mental health. American Journal of Sociology, 107(4), 1065–1096. doi:10.1086/339225
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Subramanian, S. V., Elwert, F., & Christakis, N. (2008). Widowhood and mortality among the elderly: The modifying role of neighborhood concentration of widowed individuals. Social Science & Medicine, 66(4), 873–884. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.11.029
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Taga, K. A., Friedman, H. S., & Martin, L. R. (2009). Early personality traits as predictors of mortality risk following conjugal bereavement. Journal of Personality, 77(3), 669–690. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2009.00561
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Tiikkainen, P., & Heikkinen, R.-L. (2005). Associations between loneliness, depressive symptoms and perceived togetherness. Aging & Mental Health, 9(6), 526–534. doi:10.1080/13607860500193138
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Umberson, D., Wortman, C. B., & Kessler, R. C. (1992). Widowhood and depression: Explaining long-term gender differences in vulnerability. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 33(1), 10–24. doi:10.2307/2136854
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Van Baarsen, B. (2002). Theories on coping with loss: The impact of social support and self-esteem on adjustment to emotional and social loneliness following a partner’s death in later life. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 57(1), S33–S42. doi:10.1093/geronb/57.1.S33
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Van Den Brink, C. L., Tijhuis, M., Van Den Bos, G. A. M., Giampaoli, S., Kivinen, P., Nissinen, A., & Kromhout, D. (2004). Effect of widowhood on disability onset in elderly men from three European countries. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 52(3), 353–358. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52105
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Van Grootheest, D. S., Beekman, A. T. F., Broese van Groenou, M. I., & Deeg, D. J. H. (1999). Sex differences in depression after widowhood. Do men suffer more? Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 34(7), 391–398. doi:10.1007/s001270050160
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Victor, C., Scambler, S. J., Marston, L., Bond, J., & Bowling, A. (2005). Older people’s experiences of loneliness in the UK: Does gender matter? Social Policy and Society, 5(1), 27–38. doi:10.1017/S1474746405002733
   Google Scholar
• Wang, H., Leng, Y., Zhao, E., Fleming, J., & Brayne, C. (2020). Mortality risk of loneliness in the oldest old over a 10-year follow-up. Aging & Mental Health, 24(1), 35–40. doi:10.1080/13607863.2018.1510897
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Wilcox, S., Evenson, K. R., Aragaki, A., Wassertheil-Smoller, S., Mouton, C. P., & Loevinger, B. L. (2003). The effects of widowhood on physical and mental health, health behaviors, and health outcomes: The Women’s Health Initiative. Health Psychology, 22(5), 513–522. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.22.5.513
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Williams, D. G. (1988). Gender, marriage, and psychosocial well-being. Journal of Family Issues, 9(4), 452–468. doi:10.1177/019251388009004002
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Williams, K., & Umberson, D. (2004). Marital status, marital transitions, and health: A gendered life course perspective. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 45(1), 81–98. doi:10.1177/002214650404500106
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Wortman, C. B., Cohen-Silver, R., & Kessler, R. C. (1993). The meaning of loss and adjustment to bereavement. In M. S. Stroebe, W. Stroebe, & R. O. Hansson (Eds.), Handbook of bereavement (pp. 349–366). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
   Google Scholar
• Xu, L., Li, Y., Min, J., & Chi, I. (2017). Worry about not having a caregiver and depressive symptoms among widowed older adults in China: The role of family support. Aging & Mental Health, 21(8), 879–888. doi:10.1080/13607863.2016.1181708
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Yan, Z., Yang, X., Wang, L., Zhao, Y., & Yu, L. (2014). Social change and birth cohort increase in loneliness among Chinese older adults: A cross-temporal meta-analysis, 1995–2011. International Psychogeriatrics, 26(11), 1773–1781. doi:10.1017/S1041610214000921
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Yang, F., & Gu, D. (in press). Predictors of loneliness incidence in Chinese older adults from a life course perspective: A national longitudinal study. Aging & Mental Health. doi:10.1080/13607863.2018.1558174
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Yang, F., & Gu, D. (2019). Loneliness. In D. Gu & M. E. Dupre (Eds.), Encyclopedia of gerontology and population aging. Cham: Springer.
   Google Scholar
• Yang, K., & Victor, C. R. (2008). The prevalence of and risk factors for loneliness among older people in China. Ageing and Society, 28(3), 305–327. doi:10.1017/S0144686X07006848
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Zhou, Z., Wang, P., & Fang, Y. (2018). Loneliness and the risk of dementia among older Chinese adults: Gender differences. Aging & Mental Health, 22(4), 519–525. doi:10.1080/13607863.2016.1277976
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar