Longitudinal Study of the Depressive Mood Trajectories of Older Adults Who Have Been Exposed to Bereavement of Spouse

Background/Purpose: Older adults without a spouse are at a higher risk for depression because experience higher levels of loneliness, financial difficulties, and difficulties in fulfilling roles compared to those with a spouse. Some previous studies showed the serious effects of exposure to bereavement of spouse on depressive mood of older adults, but there is limited studies examining the longitudinal trajectory of depressive mood in older adults who have been exposed to bereavement of spouse. Thus, this study aims to comparatively analyze the longitudinal trajectory of association between various forms of social activities and depression, and compare the associations between bereaved older people and those who are not bereaved.

Methods: The data used in this study were from the 2013-2022 Korean Welfare Panel Data. A probability sample of 9,831 older adults (65 or older) was analyzed. The Short Form of Geriatric Depression Scale was used to measure depression. The variables of the social activities and bereavement of spouse were self-reported. Latent growth model analysis was conducted to examine the longitudinal trajectory of association between various forms of activities and depression, and compare the associations between bereaved older people and those who are not bereaved.

Results: More than half of the sample were women aged between 65 and 74. About one-thirds of the sample were bereaved older adults. About 31.9% of older adults in this study had a clinical level of depression. The level of depressive mood among those who had been exposed to bereavement of spouse was significantly higher than in those who had not been exposed. Moreover, the depressive mood trajectory varied with the bereavement status of older adults. Lastly, the depressive mood level of those exposed to bereavement of spouse was significantly related to their religious activity.

Conclusions and Implications: This study was significant in that it considered the longitudinal effects of exposure to bereavement of spouse on depression of older adults. This study showed that social acitivities can protect older adults who were exposed to bereavement of spouse from developing depression. The older adults could feel supported and less lonely while participating religious acitivies. Thus, it is required to install various social support measures that can reduce depressive mood of older adults who are exposed to bereavement of spouse.