ABSTRACT
While both the experience and expression of grief are shaped by social and cultural influences, bereaved individuals within the same socio-cultural group still vary enormously in how they respond to the loss of a loved one. Among the factors which have been shown to predict problematic reactions to the death of a partner in several studies is an ambivalent or dependent relationship. Women’s emotionally intimate social relationships during their lifetime are an important resource as they adjust to widowhood. Older widows typically receive more practical and emotional support from their children than do widowers, reflecting mothers’ closer relationships with their children. As noted earlier, men are more likely to seek social support through new romantic relationships. Our relationships with our siblings are the longest longer than those with our parents or partners, or with our children. Indeed, towards the end of the lifespan, relationships between siblings take on particular importance for many people as sources of support.
