Bereavement and Health offers the first comprehensive review of what is known about the impact of bereavement on surviving partners. Drawing on the work of psychologists, sociologists, epidemiologists, and psychiatrists, the authors offer a theoretically coherent perspective focused on conjugal love. After thoroughly discussing different stress and depression models of bereavement, they present their own theoretical approach, emphasizing social contacts and the interpersonal nature of grief. The psychological and medical consequences of grief are then examined. In evaluating their relevant...

Does the concept of a broken heart have some grounding in reality? Can grief affect the body in ways that necessitate medical care and may even be life-threatening? Scholars from diverse disciplines report on research and explore key issues in this comprehensive review of scientific knowledge on the consequences of losing a loved person through death. Detailed coverage is given to the phenomenology of grief, distinctions between normal and pathological grief, and measurement and assessment techniques. Current theories are reviewed and underlying physiological mechanisms are surveyed, which...

Bereavement and Health offers the first comprehensive review of what is known about the impact of bereavement on surviving partners. Drawing on the work of psychologists, sociologists, epidemiologists, and psychiatrists, the authors offer a theoretically coherent perspective focused on conjugal love. After thoroughly discussing different stress and depression models of bereavement, they present their own theoretical approach, emphasizing social contacts and the interpersonal nature of grief. The psychological and medical consequences of grief are then examined. In evaluating their relevant...