Biosocial Pathways of Mental and Physical Health in Widowhood

• In Event: 21069 - Biosocial Interactions

Abstract

Widowhood is a profoundly stressful life event with well-documented consequences for mental and physical health. However, less is known about how biological and social factors interact to shape post-widowhood health trajectories. This study integrates genetic data and life-course sociology to examine biosocial pathways of depression and physical functioning in widowhood using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a longitudinal cohort of older Americans. We extend research on gene-environment (GxE) interactions by exploring how individual and spousal characteristics jointly shape bereavement-related health changes. Using polygenic indices (PGIs) for depression and BMI as proxies for long-term health risk, we employ fixed-effects regression models to assess whether genetic predispositions moderate health declines in widowhood. Our findings support the diathesis-stress model, demonstrating that individuals with a higher genetic predisposition to depression experience steeper increases in depressive symptoms post-widowhood. Similarly, individuals with higher BMI PGIs face greater long-term physical functioning difficulties after losing a spouse. Moreover, we find evidence of sustained spousal influence even after death: surviving spouses whose late partners exhibited greater depression risk show heightened depressive symptoms post-bereavement, net of their own genetic risk. These results suggest that the social influence of deceased spouses persists, potentially through psychological mechanisms such as emotional attachment or internalized mental representations. By bridging genetic and sociological perspectives, this study highlights the enduring interplay between biological and social factors in widowhood. Our findings underscore that post-bereavement health is shaped not only by individual life histories and environmental exposures but also by the lingering effects of spousal relationships, even after death.

Authors

• Tiffany Liu, Princeton University

• Dalton Conley, Princeton University