Published on: Jul 16, 2025
A recent study led by Florida State University’s Claude Pepper Center and the Pepper Institute on Aging & Public Policy has revealed new insights into the critical role of psychological resilience in helping older adults navigate widowhood, highlighting key gender differences in emotional recovery.
The three-year project, supported by funding from the National Institute on Aging, examined how stressful life events intersect with psychological resilience in later life. The research is co-led by Dawn Carr, Director of the Claude Pepper Center, and Miles Taylor, Director of the Pepper Institute, with FSU Postdoctoral Fellow Shekhar Chauhan serving as the lead author of a new paper focusing specifically on the impact of widowhood.
Widowhood is among the most devastating social experiences one can face, said Carr. Though it can occur at any age, it’s especially common in older adulthood, and being prepared for it can make a significant difference.
The study provides valuable guidance for public health initiatives aimed at supporting mental well-being among widowed individuals. It emphasizes the need to better understand the protective role of psychological resilience (PR) and develop strategies to strengthen it across the lifespan.
The research specifically investigated how pre-widowhood PR—the capacity to emotionally adapt and manage stress—influences recovery from depressive symptoms following the death of a spouse. Results suggest that building resilience before such loss may help buffer long-term mental health effects, especially for women. Both men and women experienced a rise in depressive symptoms immediately after losing a spouse, regardless of their PR levels. However, men with moderate to high PR and women with high PR were more likely to return to their pre-loss emotional baseline within two years. Moreover, women with high PR showed even fewer depressive symptoms post-recovery compared to their pre-widowhood state, while those with low PR did not fully recover.
Interestingly, for men, recovery to baseline levels occurred regardless of their resilience level, suggesting possible gender differences in how PR influences long-term adaptation.
Finding ways to strengthen psychological resilience remains a major challenge, but it’s likely key when it comes to coping with widowhood, Chauhan noted. Helping individuals build resilience earlier in life could better equip them to face significant later-life hardships.
The study also points to the broader value of PR as an internal resource that helps individuals navigate adversity in ways that promote health and well-being. Researchers are now expanding their focus to investigate how PR may influence other aspects of aging, such as maintaining independence and adopting healthy lifestyle habits.
Back to News
Empowering Innovation Through Global Conferences and Events.
© 2025 SciInov. All Rights Reserved.