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Relationships between bereavement, coping, resources, and health dysfunction were investigated in 100 older women (M age = 71.3 years) widowed from 1 to 12 months prior to the interview. Differences in coping for those who appraised their bereavement as either (a) harmful loss, but without major accompanying losses, (b) harmful loss with other anticipated threats, or (c) a challenge were hypothesized. Data collection included use of the Ways of Coping Checklist, Sickness Impact Profile, and appraisal of bereavement and resources. The appraisal groups differed significantly in overall problem-focused coping, wishful thinking, help seeking/avoidance, self blame, and growth-oriented coping. There was no difference in use of emotion-focused coping and ways to minimize threat and seek social support. Social support, strong religious beliefs, practice of rituals, belief in control over bereavement, and good prior mental health were related to less psychosocial and/or physical dysfunction. Greater numbers of resources, but not greater numbers of coping strategies, also were related to less psychosocial and/or physical dysfunction.

The purpose of the study was to test a model, based on Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) stress-coping framework, on widowed persons' psychosocial health dysfunction after conjugal bereavement. Older widows (n = 100) and widowers (n = 59) were identified through church burial records and interviewed using the Ways of Coping Checklist, Sickness Impact Profile, and questionnaires to assess appraisal of bereavement and resources. Path analysis indicated that lower threat appraisal, more problem-focused and less emotion-focused coping, greater resource strength, and younger age had direct effects on reducing psychosocial health dysfunction, explaining 30% of the variance. Higher threat appraisal influenced the use of more problem- and emotion-focused coping strategies. Greater resource strength directly influenced lower threat appraisal. Sex and type of death affected psychosocial health dysfunction through their effect on resource strength.