Does Social Support Help with Multiple Losses?

Background: A grieving individual in late life can confront multiple losses simultaneously or in rapid succession. Depressed mood is a common response to this seemingly relentless progression, especially for older adults who are themselves in failing health or who suffer from social isolation. Understanding the level of distress post-death of those with multiple losses and their coping resources with a loss will advance knowledge, which can inform practice. Method: Data from the Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC) project provide a unique opportunity to further understanding of the pattern of depressive symptoms over time. Participating caregivers completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression inventory, measures related positive social support from others. Of the 210 participants in baseline, 92 individuals followed over a period of 48 month were analyzed for bereaved caregivers [Spousal loss only (n = 61), Additional losses (n = 38)]. Result: A 4 x 2 x 2 repeated-measures analysis of variance was performed on depressive symtomatology as a function of loss status (spousal, spouse and additional) and social support (high, low). There was a marginally significant difference on the depressive symptomatology between single and multiple losses, F(1, 85) = 2.99, p = .08, np2 = .03. There was a significant time and time X social support effect, [F(2.64, 152.76) = 6.21, p = .01, np2 = .07; F(2.64, 152.76) = 2.80, p = .03, np2 = .004]. Depression of the bereaved decreased over time and there was a different pattern of the decrease in depression over time by the social support level. At the high level of social support, both spousal loss and multiple losses groups showed a similar decreasing pattern, whereas multiple losses group at the low level social support repeated decrease and increase over time as opposed to continuing decreasing pattern of spousal loss group with high level of social support. Conclusion: The current study revealed a significant buffering effect of social support on depressive symptomatology. This analysis provides an insight into the ways that individuals experienced multiple losses and received low social support at baseline are a high risk population for chronic depressive symptomatology. These findings can advance practice knowledge by helping better understand the importance of prewidowhood contextual factors such as preloss avalibility of support to those with multiple losses in late life.