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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Matthew Prina
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press. Aims: Widowed people have increased mortality compared to married people of the same age. Although most widowed people are of older age, few studies include the oldest old. As life expectancy is increasing, knowledge of widowhood into older age is needed. This study aimed to examine mortality and widowhood in older age by comparing mortality in widowed and married people by sex, age, time since spousal loss and cause of death. Methods: A Danish register-based matched cohort study of 10% of widowed persons ≤65 years in the years 2000-2009. For each randomly drawn widowed person, five married persons were matched on sex and age. Mortality rate ratios (MRR) were calculated using Poisson regression, and stratified according to sex and 5-year age intervals. MRRs were furthermore calculated by time since spousal loss and by specific cause of death. Results: The study included 82 130 persons contributing with 642 914.8 person-years. The overall MRR between widowed and married persons with up to 16 years of follow-up was 1.25 (95% CI 1.23-1.28). At age ≤95 years for men, and ≤90 years for women, no differences in mortality rates were seen between widowed and married persons. Mortality in widowed persons was increased for most specific causes of death, with the highest MRR from external causes (MRR 1.53 [1.35-1.74]) and endocrine diseases (MRR 1.51 [1.34-1.70]). Conclusions: Widowhood was associated with increased mortality in older age for both men and women until age ≤95 and ≤90 years, respectively. Increased mortality was observed for almost all causes of death.
Author(s): Blanner C, Mejldal A, Prina AM, Munk-Jorgensen P, Ersboll AK, Andersen K
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences
Year: 2020
Volume: 29
Online publication date: 03/08/2020
Acceptance date: 28/06/2020
Date deposited: 14/08/2023
ISSN (print): 2045-7960
ISSN (electronic): 2045-7979
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
URL: https://doi.org/10.1017/S2045796020000591
DOI: 10.1017/S2045796020000591
PubMed id: 32744212
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