This volume provides insightful analysis and theoretical interpretation of factors that contribute to a range of adjustment patterns among bereaved persons in late life. It places the experience of widowhood in late life squarely within the context of contemporary society and explores a remarkable range of associated issues. The volume is destined to become a classic; it will set the standard for future empirical investigation of the experience of bereavement among older adults.

ForewordMargaret S. Stroebe
Preface
Introduction: A History of the Changing Lives of Older Couples StudyRandolph M. Nesse, Camille B. Wortman, James S. House
PART I: Studying Bereavement: Methodological Innovations and Contextual Influences

1. Understanding Late Life Widowhood: New Directions in Research, Theory, and Practice, Deborah Carr, Camille B. Wortman and Randolph M. Nesse
2. Methodological Issues in Studying Late Life Bereavement, Deborah Carr
3. How Older Americans Die Today: Implications for Surviving Spouses, Deborah Carr, Camille B. Wortman and Karin Wolff

PART II: Personal Consequences of Spousal Loss

4. Psychological Consequences of Spousal Loss Among Older Adults: Understanding the Diversity of Responses, Karin Wolff and Camille B. Wortman
5. A Closer Look at Health and Widowhood: Do Health Behaviors Change after the Loss of a Spouse? Amy Mehraban Pienta and Melissa M. Franks
6. Interpersonal and Spiritual Connections among Bereaved Older Adults, Stephanie L. Brown, James S. House and Dylan M. Smith
7. Economic and Practical Adjustments to Late Life Spousal Loss, Rebecca L. Utz

PART III: New Perspectives on Grief and Bereavement

8. An Evolutionary Framework for Understanding Grief, Randolph M. Nesse
9. Widowhood, Grief and the Quest for Meaning: A Narrative Perspective on Resilience, Robert A. Neimeyer

PART IV: Implications for Practice, Policy, and Future Research

10. Clinical Interventions with the Bereaved: What Clinicians and Counselors Can Learn from the Changing Lives of Older Couples Study, Anthony D. Mancini, David L. Pressman and George A. Bonanno
11. Implications for Public Policies and Social Services: What Social Workers and Gerontology Professionals Can Learn from the Changing Lives of Older Couples Study, Virginia. E. Richardson
12. The Future of Late Life Spousal Bereavement, Deborah Carr