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Predictors of Health-Related Quality of Life Perspectives, Self-Esteem, and Life Satisfactions of Older Adults Following Spousal Loss

An 18-Month Follow-up Study of Widows and Widowers

^a Graduate Psychology Program, Trinity Western University, Langley, British Columbia, Canada

Correspondence: P. S. Fry, PhD, Graduate Psychology Program, Trinity Western University, 7600 Glover Road, Langley, British Columbia, V2Y 1Y1, Canada. E-mail: Fry{at}twu.ca.

Decision Editor: Laurence G. Branch, PhD

Purpose of the Study: The overall purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between widowed persons' baseline assessments of self-efficacy beliefs and their ratings of perceived health-related quality of life, life satisfactions, and self-esteem obtained in an 18-month follow-up. Design and Method: At Time 1, a survey of sociodemographics, a multidimensional measure of global self-efficacy, and a domain-specific measure of self-efficacy, having eight subscales of self-efficacy (interpersonal, instrumental, emotional, social support, nutritional, physical, financial, and spiritual) were administered to a group of 231 widows and widowers to obtain baseline assessments of their self-efficacy beliefs. At Time 2, a follow-up of 211 widows and widowers was conducted to obtain their perceptions of health-related quality of life, life satisfactions, and levels of self-esteem 24 months following spousal loss and to assess whether self-efficacy beliefs play a predictive role in widowed individuals' perceptions of their health-related quality of life, life satisfactions, and self-esteem. Results: A series of gender-specific multiple regression analyses models revealed that widows and widowers differ significantly with respect to the relationship between specific domains of self-efficacy and their perceived quality of life in the longer term following spousal loss. Implications: Implications of the findings are discussed for clinicians and health professionals working with bereaved spouses in terms of intervention programs for retraining of self-efficacy.

Key Words: Predictors of perceived quality of life • Self-efficacy beliefs of widowed elderly • Predictors of well-being following spousal loss

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