Widowhood mortality among married and cohabiting partners: a nationwide study in Finland.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Widowhood mortality is typically studied among those widowed from marriage, with limited knowledge about its effects after the loss of a cohabiting partner. This study examines differences in widowhood mortality by: (1) natural vs. unnatural deaths, (2) marital vs. cohabiting partnerships, (3) repartnering status, and (4) sex.

Methods

Data were gathered from the registers of Statistics Finland for all adults aged 40-65 years in 1995 (N = 318,351), encompassing details on family relations and mortality between 1995 and 2020. Using propensity score matching, each widow(er) was matched with four control individuals based on their characteristics. Widowhood mortality was studied with Cox regression models across three time intervals: 0-3, 3-10, and 10-20 years post-wi

SUBMITTER: Korhonen M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12597676 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature