Young widowhood: A life change journey

Abstract

Women between the ages of 35 and 54 experience adjustment to widowhood differently from older widows. There are approximately 1 million new widows in the United States each year; 73,000 are between the ages of 35 and 54. An investigative study of 15 younger widows showed an emerging pattern of life change transition of which mourning is a significant but minor part of the process. This article describes the resulting model of a young widow's transition process.