Challenges and coping strategies in transitioning from caregiving to widowhood: A systematic review

Challenges and coping strategies in transitioning from caregiving to widowhood: A systematic review
Research in Aging; by Abby Baumbach, M Courtney Hughes, Yujun Liu; 5/24
Ninety-one percent of surviving spouses in the U.S. cared for their spouses before they died. This review explores the challenges of the transition from caregiving to widowhood and different coping strategies used by widowed spousal caregivers... Challenges for widowed caregivers included experiencing care burden, letting go of the caregiver role, grief, and triggers. Widowed caregivers' coping strategies included social support and services use, filling the time gap, finding spirituality, and engaging in unhealthy behaviors. Future research is needed to determine the efficacy of widowed caregivers' coping strategies.