Kate M Bennett

1. Achieving Resilience in Later Life: Testing a Two Component Model of Resilience Among Older Widowers Kate M Bennett GSA 2008

2. Resilience • A working definition of resilience: • A resilient widower is considered to be particularly well adjusted to life following their loss. He would have the following characteristics: • Good adjustment; • Positive view of life; • No mention of current distress; • Participating in life; • Returned to life with meaning and satisfaction. GSA 2008

3. Models of Resilience • Deprivation Models • Resilience as a response to abnormal stress (Rutter, 1999) • Resilience as a steady state • Without fluctuating levels of distress following bereavement (and other traumatic events) (Bonanno, 2004) • His data focused on 6 and 18 months post loss, and 46% identified as resilient, sample of approx 203, mainly women) • Resilience as a long-term outcome • Initial painful awareness of loss; integrated belief and value system; optimistic and positive personality (Moore & Stratton, 2003) GSA 2008

4. Models of Resilience cont. • Achievement of Resilience • Gradual or turning point (Bennett, 2007; submitted) • It is possible that Bonnanno’s conceptualisation of resilience fits into Moore & Stratton’s and Bennett’s: Bereavement Event Achieving Resilience (Bennett) Low Bonanno Already Resilient (Bonanno) Bennett Distress High GSA 2008 Time

5. Older Widowers • Participants (From 2 independent studies): • 45 from NW England (M); • 18 from East Midlands, England (Mr.). • 9 new interviews NW England (I) • Two Qualitative Questions: • What did you do? • How did you feel? • In new study specific discussion about resilience • Time heals • Gradual or turning point • Self –evaluation of resilience GSA 2008

6. Resilience • 29 demonstrated resilience • That is not to say that the remaining widowers were not resilient, merely that it was identifiable. • In addition, in new interviews, 2 identified themselves as resilient, but we thought they were not GSA 2008

7. Components of Resilience • Time: • Resilience as a process: • Facing widowhood with resilience throughout. • Resilience as a turning point: • An event, person, experience which changed the widower’s life. • Agency • Widowers as active agents • Doing something to change their situation • Others as agents, widowers as passive • Decisions taken for widowers, or being forced by others to change GSA 2008

8. Two Component Model of Resilience GSA 2008

9. Two Component Model of Resilience Mr H, Man 14 6 September 2014 GSA 2008 GSA 2008 9

10. Bonanno’s Resilience: Always Resilient • 3 men met these criteria – I8, Man 14 and Mr. H • I8 • Had a car crash in which his wife died and he was seriously injured. His wife and daughter had, 10 years earlier, had another serious car crash • He had to contend with losing his wife and learning to walk again. • Throughout his interview he seemed so strong and so matter of fact. GSA 2008

11. But it’s a case of mind over matter I think. [Do you think it’s a gradual thing or were you able to adapt immediately?]  Em, yes I would say that I did adapt immediately, I had to. Um I knew I wasn’t going to sit on behind all day and do nothing, it was a case of gradually doing a bit more each day…. (I8) Grief comes out and all that, that didn't happen for 6 weeks…all of a sudden I just cried. And then it just stopped (his emphasis). (Mr H) You've got to get cracking and live your life. (Man 14) GSA 2008

12. Resilience: Gradual and Active • I got to, to, the fact that, that I got to get on with life and that was it, the best I could. (Mr. D) • It’s remarkable how it does heal ….. But part of my character is to adjust to circumstances. I realise it was a blessing for her and indirectly a blessing for me. (I5) • That’s how you get through it, having friends …. I can go out and talk to anybody … Being happy, is that a characteristic? Funny, I have a sense of humour. (I3) GSA 2008

13. Resilience: Gradual and Passive • That's been the story ever since really, that… each day has been made a bit easier by something unseen. (Mr. I) • It was just the two lads that kept me going you know. (M3) • Children I had to look after them so I hadn't time to sort of mope about really. (M11) –Is this passive or active? GSA 2008

14. Resilience: Turning Point and Active • And eventually you go well this won’t do. It’s like in a sense you’ve got a big job to. (M41) • I'll get over it in me own way … I started to go out.(Mr. G). • I mean to say I was very backwards doing anything, I’m not now…. That happened two year after she died. I joined the Labour Party … this Tuesday night, feeling a bit down, so I thought well I’ll just go (M27) GSA 2008

15. Resilience: Turning Point and Passive • With being a diabetic I shouldn’t do what I did. I had this heartache over it and I just thought, fuck it. I went straight round to the pub…Erh, got around and, they said leave Brown Road, and erh, I don’t know what strings were … And within an hour she sent me down here the same… to look at this place…that was the first time I’d gone home sober. (Mr. E) • Well, the person there who was knowledgeable said. “there’s a young chappie who’s quite brilliant”…...He was absolutely brilliant. (M1) GSA 2008

16. Resilience: Turning Point and Passive; Gradual and Active (M26) • I did go into a bit of depression about a year later… And the old chap says there’s only one way of getting rid of it. (…) Do some hard work. So I said I do eight hours. Oh he said but what do you do in the rest of your sixteen …. He said in about a month’s time you’ll feel it going out of your hair and your fingernails which it did. • I've come to the conclusion rightly or wrongly that um whatever life's - whatever you think life's dealt you unfairly you've only got to look sideways and there's someone a damn sight worse off than you are. GSA 2008

17. Resilience: Active and Gradual and Turning Point (M19) • Before I was forty you'd think by the time you were forty you'd be dead… But when I was forty I thought oh I'm not dead. The rest of your life is now a bonus. Enjoy it. • One night I thought if you don't get out you're going to climb up these walls, so I went down and joined the club. GSA 2008

18. Resilience: Active and Turning Point – M10/I3 – The challenges of retrospection • [Can we just move now to a year or so later.] Well that is the time I realised that I’d got to – it’s a terrible phrase and people use it at funerals – life goes on. So as I mentioned earlier I’m a great music lover - the Philharmonic came back into my life and I realised that that was good therapy for me. (M10) • Gradually I started going out …. So I joined the Philharmonic (I2) • You’ve got to take the bull by the horns and you’ve really got to work at it (I2) • [Was there an actual turning point?] No, not a turning point (I3) GSA 2008

19. Consistency in significant influences • The Phil • His character • Gradual versus turning point • In the first interview there is a sense of a turning point • In the second there is more sense of gradual change, and he himself says there was no turning point • We would argue these are not necessarily incompatible, and may be what counts is his current experience • In the first interview we were not asking them to reflect on turning points GSA 2008

20. Discussion • We’ve not found many men who meet Bonanno’s criteria (3) • There are more who become resilient (38% by 2.5 years – so similar to Bonanno’s 43%) • Following a time course that is gradual or has a turning point • They can be passive or active • Outstanding question: • Is the resilience inherent? • is it more common than we think? • Does it need unlocking by some external agent? • If so, that has implications for intervention GSA 2008

21. Discussion: Limitations • The new schedule looks specifically at resilience but could be better crafted • How do we deal with the data from those men who see themselves as resilient but we don’t think we are • In a comparison interview with women, one woman starts of by saying she is, but on reflection on realises she isn’t. • There are definitional and operational debates to be had and to be resolved • The data is not longitudinal GSA 2008

22. Selected References • Bonanno, G. A. (2004). Loss, trauma, and human resilience: Have we underestimated the human capacity to thrive after extremely aversive events? American Psychologist, 59, 20-28. • Ferraro, K.F. Mutran, E. & Barresi, C.M. (1984). Widowhood, health and friendship in later life. Journal of Health & Social Behavior, 25, 245-259. • Moore, A. J. & Stratton, D. C. (2003). Resilient Widowers: Older Men Adjusting to a New Life. NY: Prometheus. • Rubinstein, R. L. (1986). Singular Paths: Old Men Living Alone. NY: Columbia University Press. GSA 2008

23. Bereavement versus Resilience • Bonanno and Moore & Stratton and myself may be talking about resilience in relationship to different things: • Bonanno is talking about bereavement • Operationalized as the objective situation or state of having experienced the death of someone significant in one’s life; it is considered to be a relatively short-term state, and has primarily personal consequences and meanings. • Moore and Stratton and myself are talking about widowhood • refers to an ongoing, and frequently long-term state, which has both social and personal consequences and meanings • So the findings are not necessarily contracdictory GSA 2008 9/6/2014

24. Thank You Contact me: kmb@liv.ac.uk GSA 2008