It’s an inevitability none of us want to even contemplate: the loss of a spouse or life partner.
Yet it will happen to most of us or our loved ones sooner or later, and it can be bad for our own health when it does – studies have shown the loneliness that comes from losing a partner can increase risk of mortality to the same levels as obesity or smoking, as well as the chance of developing serious illnesses like cardiovascular disease.
According to lead author Dr Rosanne Freak-Poli, a life-course epidemiologist at the Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, methods of dealing with this loneliness – like supported socialisation, cognitive behavioural therapy, and social prescribing – are worth looking into.
“Increasing social interactions with friends and relatives may be an active coping strategy for spousal death, but formal social activities such as clubs and organisations are not for everyone and may not be sufficient to provide the emotional support required to alleviate the loneliness experienced when transitioning into widowhood,” she said.
Social prescribing – often practiced in the UK – involves doctors being able to prescribe group activities such as walking groups and cooking classes instead of medication.
“While it is important for health care workers to screen for loneliness as it can be a precursor to more severe clinical depression, it is imperative that they investigate alternative strategies to assist the bereaved form a new sense of identity, to help mitigate the loneliness which accompanies spousal loss,” said Dr Freak-Poli.
While none of us want to think about losing the ones we love most in the world, when we do, it’s a good idea to stay as social as we can – for our own health as well.
