Elsevier

Current Opinion in Psychology

Volume 13, February 2017, Pages 75-80
Current Opinion in Psychology

Stress and wellbeing during chronic illness and partner death in later-life: the role of social support

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.05.009Get rights and content

Highlights

  • •

    Chronic illness and partner death are two significant stressors in older adulthood.

  • •

    These stressors are associated with reductions in wellbeing among older adults.

  • •

    Social support is a key factor in the stress-wellbeing link in older adulthood.

  • •

    Research into social support in older adulthood is often atheoretical.

  • •

    Integrating social support with attachment theory is needed to advance the field.

Chronic illness and the death of a romantic partner are two of the most significant stressors reported by older adults, resulting in various physical and mental health consequences. Evidence suggests that social support is a key factor in understanding the association between chronic illness and widowhood and the wellbeing of older adults. Nevertheless, research into social support is often approached in an atheoretical manner when investigating these stressors in older adulthood. We attempt to address this theoretical chasm by proposing an integrative model to explain social support processes in older couples which draws on models of social support and attachment theory. Our model provides an important framework for understanding existing research findings as well as guiding future research.

Section snippets

Chronic illness

Support processes are particularly salient in contexts such as chronic illness. Care recipients require instrumental and emotional support from caregivers to meet their physical and mental health needs, but caregivers also require support in order to deal with the stress and burden associated with caring for a romantic partner. Numerous studies have found that the provision of social support, especially by romantic partners, can buffer the effects of chronic illness on the wellbeing of care

Widowhood

The death of a spouse is one of the most significant stressors experienced in older adulthood. The loss of a spouse is not only stressful because it marks the breaking of an attachment bond with one's primary attachment figure, but widows and widowers must adapt and re-structure their lives significantly to undertake new social roles and responsibilities; and some may even experience financial strain. As such, there is a heightened risk of mental and physical health problems for the surviving

Implications and conclusions

In this paper we identified social support as a key relationship process that has been implicated in the wellbeing outcomes of older adults dealing with the most significant stressors of later life — chronic illness and widowhood. Despite the importance of social support, there is little theory-guided research on the topic in older adulthood. Theoretical models of social support and attachment theory are ideally situated to provide insights into how social support acts as a mechanism in

Conflict of interest

Nothing declared.

References and recommended reading

Papers of particular interest, published within the period of review, have been highlighted as:

  • • of special interest

  • •• of outstanding interest

References (50)

  • C.E. Cutrona et al.

    Type of social support and specific stress: toward a theory of optimal matching

  • S. Cohen et al.

    Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis

    Psychol Bull

    (1985)
  • Bowlby J: Attachment

    Attachment and Loss, vol 1: Attachment

    (1982)
  • N.G. Choi et al.

    Comparison of depressive symptoms between homebound older adults and ambulatory older adults

    Aging Ment Health

    (2007)
  • L.L. DuPertuis et al.

    Does the source of support matter for different health outcomes? Findings from the Normative Aging Study

    J Aging Health

    (2001)
  • N.G. Choi et al.

    Relationship between spouse/partner support and depressive symptoms in older adults: gender difference

    Aging Ment Health

    (2011)
  • J.K. Kiecolt-Glaser et al.

    Spousal caregivers of dementia victims: longitudinal changes in immunity and health

    Psychosom Med

    (1991)
  • J.M. Kim et al.

    Physical health, depression and cognitive function as correlates of disability in an older Korean population

    Int J Geriatr Psychiatry

    (2005)
  • O. Gillath et al.

    Adult Attachment: A Concise Introduction into Theory and Research

    (2016)
  • J.A. Simpson et al.

    Support seeking and support giving within couples in an anxiety-provoking situation: the role of attachment styles

    J Pers Soc Psychol

    (1992)
  • N.L. Collins et al.

    Working models of attachment shape perceptions of social support: evidence from experimental and observational studies

    J Pers Soc Psychol

    (2004)
  • M. Braun et al.

    Caregiving styles and attachment orientations in couples facing advanced cancer

    Psychooncology

    (2012)
  • M. Canterberry et al.

    Attachment and caregiving

  • O. Gillath et al.

    Comparing old and young adults as they cope with life transitions: the links between social network management skills and attachment style to depression

    Clin Gerontol

    (2011)
  • J.K. Monin et al.

    Caregiving spouses’ attachment orientations and the physical and psychological health of individuals with Alzheimer's disease

    Aging Ment Health

    (2013)

    • Cited by (0)

    View full text
    © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.