The Role of Private Religious Practices, Spiritual Mindfulness, and Years Since Loss on Perceived Growth in Widowed Adul
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The Role of Private Religious Practices, Spiritual Mindfulness, and Years Since Loss on Perceived Growth in Widowed Adults Myriam Rudaz1,2 · Thomas Ledermann1 · Joseph G. Grzywacz1
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Private religiosity can lead to perceived growth after bereavement, but little is known about the role of mindfulness and the time since loss in widowed adults. Using data from the second panel of the Midlife in the United States study (MIDUS), this study examined adults (n = 250) who were married one time and became widowed. Results showed that spiritual mindfulness moderated the effect of private religious practices on personal growth, and that the association between spiritual mindfulness and positive reinterpretation was moderated by time since loss. A high level of spiritual mindfulness seems to benefit widowed adults’ personal growth and positive reinterpretation. Additionally, the greater time since loss the more positive is the association between mindfulness and positive reinterpretation. No difference was found in means between widowed adults and a matched control group of non-widowed adults (n = 250) on personal growth and positive reinterpretation. Keywords Mindfulness · Religious practices · Positive reinterpretation · Growth · Widowhood · Moderation
Introduction The loss of one’s spouse is an extremely difficult experience for most individuals, and grieving can take a long time. Widowhood is more common in older adulthood and is among the most distressing life events (e.g., King et al. 2018; Utz et al. 2011). In the USA, among people 75 years and over, 14.7% of men and 42.9% of women are widowed (Roberts et al. 2018). Widowhood and corresponding bereavement are * Myriam Rudaz [email protected] 1
Florida State University, Tallahassee, USA
2
Psychiatric Services of Thurgovia (Academic Teaching Hospital of Medical University Salzburg), Muensterlingen, Switzerland
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Vol.:(0123456789)
Journal of Religion and Health
often accompanied by changes in many aspects of life (e.g., daily routines, emotional support) and can result in increased morbidity and mortality (e.g., Moon et al. 2011; Stroebe et al. 2007; Wilcox et al. 2003). Research on whether women or men are better equipped to deal with marital loss shows mixed results, and arguments have been made in either way (Onrust and Cuijpers 2006; Stroebe et al. 2001, for a review). In widowhood, posttraumatic or perceived growth may be important because it has been associated with positive health outcomes in older adults (e.g., Heckhausen 2001). Although research has investigated the role of private religiousness on perceived growth (e.g., Shaw et al. 2005), we are not aware of any study that has investigated the role of spiritual mindfulness on perceived growth in widowhood. This oversight is meaningful because mindfulness can be purposefully modified (e.g., Kabat-Zinn 2005), and there is evidence that spirituality may promote or enable growth in the context of a stressful event (Hi
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