The stigma of widowhood in war and disaster affected communities of Sri Lanka: Contextual paths between trauma exposure and mental health distress

To add to the dialogue regarding the long-term recovery and wellbeing of war and tsunami-affected women in Sri Lanka, we utilised the Conservation of Resources Theory (COR, Hobfoll, 2009) to inform an investigation of direct and indirect effects. The study was specifically designed to assess how traumatic exposure may represent a form of loss which may associate with related losses in the form of external and internal stigma which may then associate with poor mental health outcomes. The data for this study were collected in 2016 from a sample of 379 widowed women in Eastern Sri Lanka; participant spouses died in the civil war, in the tsunami, or from health or other problems. Our analyses yielded a model suggesting associations between remembered trauma event exposure from war and disaster, external stigma, internalised stigma and mental health symptom distress. Results further yielded direct and indirect effects suggesting that trauma may represent a form of loss, and potentially lead to distress through the weight and challenges of stigma.     

Eldercare and Support in the Church

ABSTRACT

The major purpose of this study was to determine the current services provided by religious institutions in supporting their oldest members. Individuals representing 34 institutions in one southwestern metropolitan area were surveyed to determine support provided in four categories. Spiritual/counseling programs were more likely to be regularly planned programs than material/financial assistance or physical/health services, which were more likely to be offered on an as-needed basis. Most of the churches reported access for persons with disabilities. Study results were used to develop a model and make recommendations illustrating the religious institution's role in providing eldercare and support.