Dating and remarriage over the first two years of widowhood.

In this study we examined the following: (1) frequencies of remarrying or becoming romantically involved for widows and widowers during the first 2 years of widowhood; (2) attitudes toward dating and remarriage among the recently widowed, and their evolution; (3) identifiable factors which predict the development of new romances, such as sex, age, income, and level of education; and (4) the psychological well-being of those widows and widowers involved in romances compared to those who were not. The San Diego Widowhood Project was a prospective study in which 249 widows and 101 widowers who were identified through San Diego County death certificates completed detailed questionnaires 2, 7, 13, 19, and 25 months after their spouses' deaths. The main outcome measures for this study were marital and romance status, attitudes toward romance at several time points, demographic predictors of romance status, and self-reported measures of psychological well-being. By 25 months after the spouse's death 61% of men and 19% of women were either remarried or involved in a new romance. Women expressed more negative feelings about forming new romantic relationships. Younger age was a predictor of becoming involved in a new romance for women, and higher monthly income and level of education were predictors for men. Greater psychological well-being was highly correlated with being remarried or in a new romance 25 months after the spouse's death. It may be helpful for family, friends, and therapists to know that dating and remarriage are common and appear to be highly adaptive behaviors among the recently bereaved.

The effect of noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus on the prevalence of clinical osteoarthritis. A population based study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relation between noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and osteoarthritis (OA) in a population. METHODS: The study population included 632 men and 882 women aged 52-95 years from the Rancho Bernardo community. In 1984-87, participants answered questions about history of diabetes and had a standard oral glucose tolerance (OGTT). In 1988-92, subjects completed a questionnaire about history of arthritis, type of arthritis diagnosed, and presence of joint pain. Nurses examined subjects for presence of Heberden's nodes. Subjects with no history of arthritis were compared to those with a history of OA and other types of arthritis with regard to age, body size, and plasma glucose levels. In addition, subjects were classified by diabetes status to determine differences in the prevalence of arthritis and related characteristics. RESULTS: Neither impaired glucose tolerance nor NIDDM was associated with history of OA, regardless of how inclusive the definition of OA, before or after adjustment for age and maximum lifetime obesity. In age and obesity adjusted analyses, men with a history of OA had lower fasting plasma glucose levels than men with no arthritis (100.2 vs. 103.6 mg/dl, p < 0.05), and men with NIDDM had less hand and hip pain than normoglycemic men (p < 0.05). Heberden's nodes were unrelated to glucose tolerance status. CONCLUSION: This population based study found no positive association between clinical OA and NIDDM defined by OGTT. These results are compatible with community based data examining radiographic OA and history of diabetes.

The spectrum of depressive phenomena after spousal bereavement.

BACKGROUND: Major depressive syndromes have been found to be prevalent, disabling, and often persistent during the stress of bereavement. To add to the burden of mood changes associated with bereavement, a substantial number of bereaved individuals may suffer from depressive symptoms that do not quite equal the requisite number to meet criteria for a major depressive episode, but which also may be quite disabling, if not be actual forerunners of major depression. This study evaluates the frequency, morbidity, and stability of subsyndromal symptomatic depressions. METHOD: 350 widows and widowers were evaluated for depressive symptoms and syndromes at 2, 13, and 25 months after the death of their spouse. An additional 126 demographically similar men and women also were evaluated. In addition to the presence of a number of depressive symptoms, a number of outcome measures were obtained: use of antidepressant medication, self-perceived physical health, satisfaction with work performance, number of days of social activity per month, self-rated adjustment to widow-hood, satisfaction with ongoing interpersonal relationships, and development of a new relationship. RESULTS: Both symptomatic major depression (SMD) syndromes and subsyndromal symptomatic depression (SSD) were prevalent throughout the first 2 years of widowhood. More than one third of subjects with SSD 2 months after their spouse's death either continue to have SSD after the first full year of bereavement (28%) or worsen (9%) during that time. On most outcome measures, subjects with SSD stand between subjects with no depression and those with SMD and are significantly more likely than euthymic subjects to complain of poor physical health, be dissatisfied with their work performance, and refrain from social activity; they show a statistical trend for more disturbed ongoing relationships with friends and to be less likely to be involved in a new romantic relationship. CONCLUSION: Although heretofore relatively unrecognized, SSDs are prevalent, often persist, and are associated with substantial morbidity in widows and widowers during the first 2 years of bereavement.