Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Free Access - Register Here

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (OnlineFirst PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
0146167208314972v1
34/6/849    most recent
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Brown, S. L.
Right arrow Articles by Smith, D. M.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Brown, S. L.
Right arrow Articles by Smith, D. M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
First published on March 14, 2008, doi:10.1177/0146167208314972

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 2008;34:849.

A more recent version of this article appeared on June 1, 2008

Article

Coping With Spousal Loss: Potential Buffering Effects of Self-Reported Helping Behavior

Stephanie L. Brown1*, R. Michael Brown2, James S. House3, and Dylan M. Smith1

1 VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and University of Michigan
2 Pacific Lutheran University
3 University of Michigan

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: stebrown{at}umich.edu.


  Abstract
The present study examined the role of self-reported helping behavior in attenuating the helper’s depression following spousal loss. Using archival data from the Changing Lives of Older Couples sample (N = 289), the study shows that among bereaved participants who had experienced high loss-related grief, helping behavior (providing instrumental support to others) was associated with an accelerated decline in depressive symptoms for the helper from 6 months to 18 months following spousal loss. This relationship between giving help and recovery from depression was independent of support received, as well as measured health, and interpersonal and demographic factors. Implications of these results for theoretical approaches to the study of close relationships and well-being are discussed.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?