Psychological adjustment to divorce and widowhood in mid- and later life: do coping strategies and personality protect against psychological distress?

Little is known about the specific ways that young-old men and women cope with marital disruption. Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, we examine: (1) the extent to which widowhood and divorce in one's 50s or early 60s affect depressive symptoms and alcohol use; and (2) the extent to which coping strategies and personality traits protect against or elevate distress levels. We find that widowed men and women report elevated depressive symptoms and these effects persist more than 2 years after the loss. By contrast, divorce does not affect depressive symptoms, yet does have a large effect on men's alcohol use. Not one coping style mediates and very few coping styles moderate the effect of marital disruption on mental health. The adverse psychological implications of marital disruption may reflect the fact that for young-old adults both widowhood and divorce are “off-time” transitions and, thus, are particularly distressing.