WOHLBEFINDEN NACH SCHEIDUNG UND VERWITWUNG

Die Nationalen Forschungsschwerpunkte (NFS)
sind ein Förderinstrument
des Schweizerischen Nationalfonds
WOHLBEFINDEN NACH SCHEIDUNG UND VERWITWUNG
BINA KNÖPFLI, STEFANIE SPAHNI &
PASQUALINA PERRIG-CHIELLO
SCHWEIZERISCHE HOFFNUNGSKONFERENZ
BERN, 7. SEPTEMBER 2015
ÜBERWINDUNG DER VERLETZBARKEIT IM
VERLAUF DES LEBENS
OVERVIEW
!   Introduction
The role of intimate relationships for well-being
!   Swiss research project IP212 ‘Partnerships in later life’
!   Separation/divorce after long-term marriage
!   Spousal bereavement in older age
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PARTNERSHIPS TODAY
Increase in life expectancy –
increase in partnership
duration
But: economical progresses
and social changes also led
to higher divorce rates
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4.$Detention$in$jail$or$other$institution$
5.$Death$of$a$close$family$member$
6.$Major$personal$injury$or$illness$
7.$Marriage$
8.$Being$fired$at$work$
...$
63$
63$
53$
50$
47$
...$
PARTNERSHIP STATUS AND WELL-BEING
$
$
$
$
!   Gallup-Study: Well-Being Sub-Index
Scores, by Marital Status
$
$
%
%
%
%
Work%
%
Life%
Emotional% Physical%
Healthy%
Environ;
Basic%
Evaluation%
Health%
Health%
Behavior%
ment%
Access%
All$U.S.$
48.8$
79.0$
76.7$
63.4$
47.2$
81.9$
adults$
Married$
52.0$
81.1$
77.8$
65.9$
51.2$
85.1$
Single$
53.2$
78.2$
79.7$
59.0$
41.1$
79.1$
Widowed$
31.9$
79.1$
70.3$
68.9$
49.1$
81.9$
Domestic$
49.1$
75.9$
75.8$
59.4$
45.3$
74.0$
Partner$
Divorced$
34.8$
73.2$
70.2$
59.7$
43.2$
77.4$
Separated$
30.7$
68.5$
67.8$
56.6$
41.6$
70.3$
$
Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, Jan. 1- Dec. 31, 2011
Source: Brown & Jones (2012)
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SWISS RESEARCH PROJECT IP212
‘RELATIONSHIPS IN LATER LIFE’
!   Project leader: Prof. Dr. Pasqualina Perrig-Chiello (University of Bern)
!   Study is part of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research “LIVES
- Overcoming Vulnerability: Life Course Perspectives” (funded by the National
Centres of Competence in Research).
!   Aims of the research project are:
!   To examine determinants and outcomes of critical life events related to intimate
relationships, whether due to divorce or bereavement in the second half of life and
!   To examine conditions of long-term relationships.
!   Longitudinal, interdisciplinary survey-study conducted in the German- and
French-speaking regions in Switzerland:
!
!
!
!
 
 
 
 
Socio-demographic variables, biographical information
Personality
Well-being (psychological and physiological)
Relationships: current status, events in the past (divorce, separation,
bereavement)
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SWISS RESEARCH PROJECT IP212
‘RELATIONSHIPS IN LATER LIFE’ – SAMPLE
!   The Federal Office of Statistics supplied us with a random sample of 6‘889
persons: persons, who experienced a divorce or a spousal bereavement in the past
2-5 years as well as long-term married persons.
!
Contacted!persons!
Participants!
!
1st!wave!of!data!
gathering!
2012!
6889!persons!
2856!persons:!
• Divorced:!1107!
• Widowed:!569!
• Married:!1085!
2nd!wave!of!data!
gathering!!
2014!
2784!persons!
2173!persons!
• Divorced:!780!
• Widowed:!464!
• Married:!898!
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3rd!wave!of!data!
gathering!
2016!
2173!persons!
!
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DIVORCE: A FREQUENT BIOGRAPHICAL
TRANSITION IN MIDDLE AGE
Total number of divorces by age groups, 2013
7000
6000
Men
Women
Number of divorces
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
-30
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-69
Age
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70+
Source: BFS, 2015
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REASONS FOR SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF DIVORCE
RATES AFTER LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS
!   Longer life-time expectancy
!   Changing values
!   Lower traditional barriers of divorce
!   Changes in divorce laws in Switzerland
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A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF THE ADAPTATION PROCESS TO
MARITAL BREAKUP:
THE DIVORCE-STRESS-ADJUSTMENT-THEORY (AMATO, 2000)
Marital
breakup
Resources /
protective
factors
Interpersonal resources
(e.g. new relationship)
Possible stressors
•  Loss of emotional support
•  Continuing conflicts with exspouse
•  Dissatisfaction with former
relationship
•  Initiator of separation
•  Experience of separation
•  …
Variables related to exrelationship
(e.g. time since separation)
Intrapersonal resources
(e.g. personality traits &
resilience)
Socio-demographic
variables
(e.g. gender, age,
education)
Psychological
adaptation
Severity and dura-on of psychological, behavioural, and health problems Func-on in new roles Iden-ty and lifestyle not -ed to former marriage …personal growth Source: Amato (2000)
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RESOURCES: TIME HEALS SOME WOUNDS
Frequency of responses
Duration of time to overcome the separation
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
25% 24%
19%
18%
2012
23%
15%
19%
11%
9%
Not enough time Less than a year
elapsed since
event
1-2 years
2014
2-3 year
14%
4 years and
longer
13% 11%
Never possible to
overcome
Mourning the relationship
38%
Frequency of responses
40%
35%
30%
25%
34%
2012
30%
32%
25%
2014
21%
20%
15%
13%
7%
10%
5%
0%
Yes, very much
Source: Perrig-Chiello, P., & Knöpfli, B. (2015).
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Sometimes
No
No, on the
contrary
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RESOURCES: REPARTNERING
80%
Self0rated)health)by)partnership0status)
)
70%
60%
50%
90%#
40%
80%#
30%
90%!
Con=nously#married#
80%!
Repartnered#divorcees#
70%#
20%
10%
0%
82%# 81%#
Self-rated health by partnership-status
frequency
of response
Frequency)of)response))
Percentage of individuals in new partnership
Percentage of individuals in new relationship, by
gender and measurement point
!Table 1 Socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the partnership groups, Switzerland 2012
Continuously
Repartnered
Single divorcees
!
married
divorcees
(n = 532)!
(n = 399)!
(n = 424)!
n (women/men)!
399 (226/173)!
424 (205/219)!
532 (385/147)!
Age in years (SD) (Range: 40-65)!
52.3 (7.9)!
51.1 (7.2)!
52.3 (6.8)!
Duration of (ex-) relationship, in
27.8(9.7)!
17.4(9.2)!
21.1(8.9)!
years (SD)!
!!
!
!
2012
2014
Women
2012
2014
Men
60%#
70%!
50%#
60%!
40%#
50%!
Repartnered divorcees
Single divorcees
28%#
16%#
16%# 28%
20%#
30%!
10%#
0%!
!
!
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66%#
81%
66%
Single#divorcees#
40%!
0%#
10%!
!
Continously married
30%#
20%!
82%
2%#
2%#
6%#
16% 16%
6%
2%
2%Very#bad#4#bad#
Very bad - bad
So4so##
So-so
Good#4#very#good#
Good - very good
Source: Knöpfli, Cullati, Courvoisier, Burton-Jeangros, & Perrig-Chiello (under review)
07.09.15
! !
! !
11
SPOUSAL BEREAVEMENT: A NORMATIVE
TRANSITION IN OLDER AGE
!   Likelihood increases with age
!   A gendered experience: womens‘ higher life
expectancy and choice of older partner
6000
CH 2013:
331‘632 widows
76‘035 widowers
with average age of
70 years
5000
4000
women
3000
men
2000
1000
0
(BFS, 2014)
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BUT ALSO A CRITICAL LIFE EVENT
!   Disbalanced person environment fit: unsettling
subjective worldview, intense emotions
!   Additional loss of resources: cumulativ stress in
the late period of life with decreasing social and
physical resources
!   Stress (temporarly) is associated with lower wellbeing, higher vulnerability for physical and
psychological disease
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PATTERNS OF ADAPTATION
Indicators of adaptation: life satisfaction, loneliness, hopelessness,
depressive symptoms, subjective health
54% Resilients
39% Copers
Well-being like married ones
High personal resources
Minor difficulties
Personal resources, shorter time since loss
7% Vulnerables Severly affected
Low personal resources
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RELEVANT RESOURCES
Discriminant factors
in order of their effect-size:
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Resilience
Neuroticism
Extraversion
Openness
Conscientiousness
Agreeableness
Spousal support
Emotional valence
Time since loss
Gender
Resilient profil
➤  High resilience
self-reliance, independence, mastery,
perseverance, adaptability, flexibility,
balanced perspective of life
➤  High extraversion
surgency, sociability, talkativeness,
assertiveness
➤  Low neuroticism
emotional instability, anxiety,
irritability, sadness
➤  Positive emotional valence
regarding the loss experience
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RELEVANT RESOURCES: SOCIAL SUPPORT
What did you do after the loss to cope with the new situation?
61%
I was trying to cope with it on my own.
62%
38%
8%
I was looking for support and comfort from...
family members.
friends and acquaintances.
a religious institute.
9%
75%
I was looking for professional help (doctor, psychologist, ...).
were able to count on the help of someone to deal with the loss
(especially children, family, friends).
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CONCLUSION
! Divorce and spousal bereavement are frequent critical
life events in middle and higher age.
!   Even if the loss of a partner is challenging, most of the
individuals succeed in adaptation to the new
circumstances of life.
!   But 7-20% show severe psychological and physical
complains.
!   Time since loss, personality factors, social and financial
resources are decisive for adaptation.
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Thank you very much for your attention
Contact:
[email protected]
[email protected]
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REFERENCES
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Amato, P. R. (2000). The consequences of divorce for adults and children. Journal of Marriage and the Family,
62(4), 1269-1287. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.01269.x
Brown, A., & Jones, J. M. (2012). Separation, Divorce Linked to Sharply Lower Wellbeing- Married Americans have
highest wellbeing Retrieved 28. January, 2014, from
http://www.gallup.com/poll/154001/Separation-Divorce-Linked-Sharply-Lower-Wellbeing.aspx
Höpflinger, F., Spahni, S., & Perrig-Chiello, P. (2013). Persönliche Bilanzierung der Herausforderungen einer
Verwitwung im Zeit- und Geschlechtervergleich. Zeitschrift für Familienforschung, 25(3), 267-285.
Knöpfli, B., Cullati, S., Courvoisier, D. S., Burton-Jeangros, C., & Perrig-Chiello, P. (under review). Marital breakup in
later adulthood and self-rated health: a cross-sectional survey in Switzerland.
Perrig-Chiello, P., & Knöpfli, B. (2015). Forschungsdossier: Trennung und Scheidung - im Längsschnitt (2012-2014)
(pp. 1-25). Bern: University of Bern.
http://www.entwicklung.psy.unibe.ch/unibe/philhuman/psy/entwicklung/content/e5107/e6142/e690783/
Dossier_Scheidung_ger.pdf
Perrig-Chiello, P., Knöpfli, B., & Gloor, U. (2013). Späte Scheidungen: Fakten, Gründe und Auswirkungen. Ein
interdisziplinärer Blick auf Ergebnisse einer Schweizer Studie. FamPra, Die Praxis des Familienrechts, 4, 845-867.
Perrig-Chiello, P., Spahni, S., Höpflinger, F., & Carr, D. (2015). Psychosocial adaptation to spousal loss in a period
of social change: Documenting effects of widow(er)hood in 1979 and 2011. The Journals of Gerontology Series B:
Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbv004
Spahni, S., Morselli, D., Perrig-Chiello, P., & Bennett, K. M. (2015). Patterns of psychological adaptation to spousal
bereavement in old age. Gerontology, 61(5), 456-468. doi: 10.1159/000371444
Nähere Informationen zum Projekt finden Sie auf unserer Homepage der Universität Bern: entwicklung.psy.unibe.ch/
content/forschung/lives/ oder unter: lives-nccr.ch/de/page/ip12-n190
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