Abstract

Objectives: Research suggests that the death of a spouse has an adverse effect on a widow(er)’s cognition. However, little research has examined how the marital context before widowhood and gender influence this association. Guided by the social ambivalence and disease (SAD) model, this study examined the associations between spousal loss and cognition , with moderating effects of gender and pre-loss marital quality.

Method: We analyzed a national longitudinal data, Midlife in the United States (MIDUS), specifically MIDUS 2 (2004-2005) and MIDUS 3 (2013-2014). The analytic sample consisted of (1) 146 participants who experienced the death of their spouse between MIDUS 2 and MIDUS 3 and (2) 144 age- and gender-matched comparison participants who did not lose their spouse during the period.

Results: Adverse influence of widowhood on cognition was more pronounced among bereaved men than bereaved women. Widowed individuals whose relationships with their deceased spouse were ambivalent had poorer cognition than widowed individuals who had aversive relationships with their deceased spouse.

Conclusion: Findings suggest that the influence of spousal death on cognitive functioning depends on gender and pre-loss marital quality, emphasizing the importance of considering pre-loss marital relationship and gender dynamics in developing efficient interventions for the widowed.

 抽象的

目标：研究表明，配偶的去世会对寡妇（鳏夫）的认知产生不利影响。然而，很少有研究探讨丧偶前的婚姻背景和性别如何影响这种关联。本研究以社会矛盾心理与疾病（SAD）模型为指导，探讨了丧偶与认知之间的关联，以及性别和丧偶前婚姻质量的调节作用。

方法：我们分析了全国纵向数据“美国中年”(MIDUS)，特别是 MIDUS 2 (2004-2005) 和 MIDUS 3 (2013-2014)。分析样本包括 (1) 146 名在 MIDUS 2 和 MIDUS 3 期间经历过配偶死亡的参与者和 (2) 144 名在此期间没有失去配偶的年龄和性别匹配的比较参与者。

结果：丧偶对失去亲人的男性认知的不利影响比失去亲人的女性更明显。与已故配偶关系矛盾的丧偶者比与已故配偶有厌恶关系的丧偶者认知能力更差。

结论：研究结果表明，配偶死亡对认知功能的影响取决于性别和丧偶前婚姻质量，强调了在为丧偶者制定有效干预措施时考虑丧偶前婚姻关系和性别动态的重要性。