Love and Bereavement: Life Functioning and Relationship to Partner and Spouse in Bereaved and Nonbereaved Young Women

This research examines how do bereaved wives and partners resemble and differ from their nonbereaved counterparts. Guided by the Two-Track Model of Bereavement, we focused on biopsychosocial functioning and the nature of the ongoing relationship to their partner. The sample included 85 bereaved women who were compared with 87 nonbereaved women currently married or in a stable pair-bond relationship. As predicted, the results demonstrated the continuing impact of bereavement years after the loss, but the pattern of similarities and differences between the groups sheds additional light on the loss experience. The discussion of these findings and their implications conclude the article.