Gender as a moderator of the relationship between coping strategies and indicators of recovery from the loss

Prospective bereavement studies from community samples that are focused on examining changes in the coping process over time and the effect of moderating factors is lacking. This study aimed to examine the moderating role of gender in the process of coping with the loss of a spouse. The research was organized as a correlation study with three repeated measurements. The first measurement was done in the first 40 days following the loss of the spouse (M = 26.86; SD = 8.20). The second measurement was performed one month after the first, and the third was done six months after the spouse's death. The study involved 32 women and 32 men aged between 65 and 89 years (M = 71.94; SD = 6.02) who lost their spouses in the last 40 days. Elderly care organizations and municipalities provided assistance in finding the participants. Results indicate a decrease in general distress in both men and women, whereas life satisfaction shows a curvilinear pattern and meaning in life stability over time. Correlations between coping styles and recovery outcomes were significant only among widows, where a decrease in loss-oriented coping and increase in restorative coping were related to higher levels of life satisfaction. In widowers, there is a significant linear decrease in loss-oriented coping and a nonlinear increase in restoration-oriented coping; however, these changes are not correlated with changes in recovery indicators. The research indicates a greater reactivity of widows to the effects of coping strategies, but also some similarities in the recovery pathways.