Spousal bereavement, mortality and risk of negative health outcomes among older adults: a population-based study

Lucas Morin; Jonas W Wastesson; Stefan Fors; Neda Agahi; Kristina Johnell

In this population-based study, we found that spousal bereavement was associated with an excess risk of mortality and with a wide range of negative health outcomes, especially among men. The effect of bereavement reached its peak immediately after the death of the spouse and weakened over time. We observed that the illness trajectory of the deceased spouse had a substantial modifying effect on this association. Notably, the risk of non-fatal adverse health outcomes increased already in the 0-6 months before spousal loss. Our results indicate that the provision of formal and informal bereavement support should start early after, if not before, spousal loss. These findings are of particular public health and clinical relevance in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, which will unfortunately result in a substantial number of bereaved older adults over a short period of time.