Length of widowhood and stress on life satisfaction of older Nigerian widows

Abstract

Widowhood is a stressful event for women, often coinciding with health, financial, and relationship losses, thus impacting the life satisfaction of individuals. The present study examined the length of widowhood and stress on life satisfaction of older Nigerian widows. A sample of one hundred and fifty-five (N = 155) widows (mean age = 57 years) were drawn from the Nsukka metropolis using convenient sampling. Participants completed self-report measures of life satisfaction and perceived stress including demographic data. The regression analysis showed that stress had no significant relationship with life satisfaction. Length of widowhood negatively predicted life satisfaction (β = -.19, t = -2.41*, p<.05); indicating that the longer people stay in widowhood, the less satisfied they become. The interaction of stress and length of widowhood did not significantly predict life satisfaction (β = .31, t =1.74, p = .08); which means that when the length of widowhood and stressful experiences of widows are high, life satisfaction tends to be reduced. The R² for the model was .05 indicating that 5% of the variation in life satisfaction was explained on account of stress and length of widowhood. The findings underscore the importance of providing the older widows with an adequate network with the children and significant others as this has a beneficial effect on psychological health and helps to enhance life satisfaction.