{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T20:05:06Z","timestamp":1792785906965,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,23]],"date-time":"2026-07-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784764800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Strategic Research Council of the Academy of Finland","award":["364371"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["364371"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/02vtq1a86","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study examined how widowhood shapes older adults\u2019 close network composition and quality and community participation, and whether these effects differ by gender.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) were used to analyze 55,555 Europeans aged 50 and older, including 3,257 who became widowed between survey waves. Fixed-effects panel models estimated within-person changes in network size, composition (number of friends, children, and others in the network), satisfaction with the network, emotional closeness (average level of closeness across all social network members), and community involvement (active involvement of individuals in collective and social activities) from before to after widowhood, with gender interactions testing for differential adaptation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Widowhood was associated with sustained increases in network size and diversity, particularly in ties with children and friends, and especially among men. However, network satisfaction declined persistently following spousal loss for both genders, and emotional closeness deteriorated over time, though less so for women. Widowed women, more than men, increased their engagement in community activities, especially in voluntary work and sport or social clubs in the years following spousal loss.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Gendered patterns of social adaptation emerge after widowhood, with men showing larger increases in network size and in the presence of children, and women showing greater increases in community participation. Structural network growth after widowhood does not necessarily translate into improved relationship quality. Rather than women uniformly outperforming men in social adaptation, our results suggest that widowers and widows pursue distinct and complementary strategies.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1093\/geronb\/gbag141","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,23]],"date-time":"2026-07-23T11:55:03Z","timestamp":1784807703000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Life after loss: gendered changes in social networks and community participation around widowhood"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"81","author":[{"given":"Elisa","family":"Tambellini","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Population Research Institute, V\u00e4est\u00f6liitto , Helsinki,","place":["Finland"]},{"name":"INVEST Research Flagship Centre, University of Turku , Turku,","place":["Finland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8547-9502","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mirkka","family":"Danielsbacka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Population Research Institute, V\u00e4est\u00f6liitto , Helsinki,","place":["Finland"]},{"name":"INVEST Research Flagship Centre, University of Turku , Turku,","place":["Finland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Antti O","family":"Tanskanen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Population Research Institute, V\u00e4est\u00f6liitto , Helsinki,","place":["Finland"]},{"name":"Department of Social Research, University of Turku , Turku,","place":["Finland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9429-1499","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna","family":"Rotkirch","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Population Research Institute, V\u00e4est\u00f6liitto , Helsinki,","place":["Finland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4135\/9781412993869","volume-title":"Fixed effects regression models","author":"Allison","year":"2009"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1515\/9781400829828","volume-title":"Mostly harmless econometrics: An empiricist\u2019s companion","author":"Angrist","year":"2009"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B3","first-page":"427","volume-title":"Handbook of the psychology of aging","author":"Antonucci","year":"2001"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"82","DOI":"10.1093\/geront\/gnt118","article-title":"The convoy model: Explaining social relations from a multidisciplinary perspective","volume":"54","author":"Antonucci","year":"2014","journal-title":"The Gerontologist"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"183","DOI":"10.1093\/geront\/29.2.183","article-title":"A continuity theory of normal aging","volume":"29","author":"Atchley","year":"1989","journal-title":"The Gerontologist"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2095","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-030-39903-0_59","volume-title":"Encyclopedia of behavioral medicine","author":"August","year":"2020"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"280","DOI":"10.1002\/gps.1280","article-title":"Psychological wellbeing in later life: The longitudinal effects of marriage, widowhood and marital status change","volume":"20","author":"Bennett","year":"2005","journal-title":"International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"327","DOI":"10.4135\/9781446288146.n15","volume-title":"The SAGE handbook of regression analysis and causal inference","author":"Br\u00fcderl","year":"2015"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"992","DOI":"10.1093\/ije\/dyt088","article-title":"Data resource profile: The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)","volume":"42","author":"B\u00f6rsch-Supan","year":"2013","journal-title":"International Journal of Epidemiology"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1188","DOI":"10.1093\/geront\/gnab116","article-title":"Socioemotional selectivity theory: The role of perceived endings in human motivation","volume":"61","author":"Carstensen","year":"2021","journal-title":"The Gerontologist"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B11","volume-title":"Personal adjustment in old age","author":"Cavan","year":"1949"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"225","DOI":"10.2307\/2297110","article-title":"Analysis of covariance with qualitative data","volume":"47","author":"Chamberlain","year":"1980","journal-title":"The Review of Economic Studies"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"310","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-2909.98.2.310","article-title":"Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis","volume":"98","author":"Cohen","year":"1985","journal-title":"Psychological Bulletin"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"79","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socnet.2023.08.001","article-title":"From attitudes to social networks: National gender-role attitudes and gender differences in late-life social relationships","volume":"76","author":"Cohn-Schwartz","year":"2024","journal-title":"Social Networks"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e422","DOI":"10.1111\/hsc.12542","article-title":"The personal communities of men experiencing later life widowhood","volume":"26","author":"Collins","year":"2018","journal-title":"Health & Social Care in the Community"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"782","DOI":"10.1093\/geronb\/gbr111","article-title":"Independence through social networks: Bridging potential among older women and men","volume":"66B","author":"Cornwell","year":"2011","journal-title":"The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"94","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2013.09.011","article-title":"The health benefits of network growth: New evidence from a national survey of older adults","volume":"125","author":"Cornwell","year":"2015","journal-title":"Social Science & Medicine"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"343","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-71544-5_16","volume-title":"Social networks and the life course","author":"Cornwell","year":"2018"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"817","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpainsymman.2013.01.005","article-title":"Transitioning from caregiving to widowhood","volume":"46","author":"DiGiacomo","year":"2013","journal-title":"Journal of Pain and Symptom Management"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"158","DOI":"10.1093\/geront\/gnp103","article-title":"Changes in social participation and volunteer activity among recently widowed older adults","volume":"50","author":"Donnelly","year":"2010","journal-title":"The Gerontologist"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"190","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467-9442.2010.01638.x","article-title":"Life satisfaction dynamics with quarterly life event data","volume":"113","author":"Frijters","year":"2011","journal-title":"The Scandinavian Journal of Economics"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"675","DOI":"10.1093\/geront\/33.5.675","article-title":"Kinkeeping and friend keeping among older women: The effect of marriage","volume":"33","author":"Gallagher","year":"1993","journal-title":"The Gerontologist"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"S258","DOI":"10.1093\/geronb\/59.5.S258","article-title":"Formal volunteering as a protective factor for older adults\u2019 psychological well-being","volume":"59","author":"Greenfield","year":"2004","journal-title":"The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"457","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1475-6811.2007.00165.x","article-title":"Changes in contact and support exchange in personal networks after widowhood","volume":"14","author":"Guiaux","year":"2007","journal-title":"Personal Relationships"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"306","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1741-3737.2008.00483.x","article-title":"Changes in support from confidants, children, and friends following widowhood","volume":"70","author":"Ha","year":"2008","journal-title":"Journal of Marriage and Family"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"254","DOI":"10.2307\/2137355","article-title":"Network range and health","volume":"33","author":"Haines","year":"1992","journal-title":"Journal of Health and Social Behavior"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"312","DOI":"10.1002\/wps.21224","article-title":"Social connection as a critical factor for mental and physical health: Evidence, trends, challenges, and future implications","volume":"23","author":"Holt-Lunstad","year":"2024","journal-title":"World Psychiatry"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"689","DOI":"10.1017\/S0144686X21000829","article-title":"The gendered experience of social resources in the transition to late-life widowhood","volume":"43","author":"Isherwood","year":"2023","journal-title":"Ageing and Society"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"236","DOI":"10.1177\/0164027520917061","article-title":"The death of confidants and changes in older adults\u2019 social lives","volume":"42","author":"Iveniuk","year":"2020","journal-title":"Research on Aging"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B30","first-page":"72","volume-title":"Stress and health among the elderly","author":"Jackson","year":"1992"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"83","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2017.01.011","article-title":"Perceived emotional social support in bereaved spouses mediates the relationship between anxiety and depression","volume":"211","author":"Jacobson","year":"2017","journal-title":"Journal of Affective Disorders"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"gbaf024","DOI":"10.1093\/geronb\/gbaf024","article-title":"Parent-child disconnectedness and older European adults\u2019 mental health: Do patterns differ by marital status and gender?","volume":"80","author":"Jessee","year":"2025","journal-title":"The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1079","DOI":"10.1353\/sof.2007.0043","article-title":"Gender differences in the effects of divorce, widowhood, and remarriage on intergenerational support: Does marriage protect fathers?","volume":"85","author":"Kalmijn","year":"2007","journal-title":"Social Forces"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2755","DOI":"10.1177\/0192513X20988068","article-title":"Differential effects of widowhood on network and support","volume":"42","author":"Klaus","year":"2021","journal-title":"Journal of Family Issues"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"906","DOI":"10.1177\/0268580921993326","article-title":"Differences in social participation of older adults across European welfare regimes: Fourteen years of SHARE data collection","volume":"36","author":"Lakom\u00fd","year":"2021","journal-title":"International Sociology"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"972","DOI":"10.1093\/geronb\/gbab072","article-title":"Social participation in widowhood: Evidence from a 12-year panel","volume":"77","author":"Lim-Soh","year":"2022","journal-title":"The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"538","DOI":"10.1177\/01640275221113048","article-title":"The interplay of personality traits and social network characteristics in the subjective well-being of older adults","volume":"45","author":"Litwin","year":"2023","journal-title":"Research on Aging"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"407","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1533-8525.1973.tb00869.x","article-title":"Self-identity in marriage and widowhood","volume":"14","author":"Lopata","year":"1973","journal-title":"The Sociological Quarterly"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"527","DOI":"10.1037\/0022-3514.84.3.527","article-title":"Reexamining adaptation and the set point model of happiness: Reactions to changes in marital status","volume":"84","author":"Lucas","year":"2003","journal-title":"Journal of Personality and Social Psychology"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"339","DOI":"10.1017\/S0714980811000201","article-title":"Revisiting widowhood in later life: Changes in patterns and profiles, advances in research and understanding","volume":"30","author":"Martin-Matthews","year":"2011","journal-title":"Canadian Journal on Aging\/La Revue Canadienne du Vieillissement"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e23465","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0023465","article-title":"Widowhood and mortality: A meta-analysis","volume":"6","author":"Moon","year":"2011","journal-title":"PloS One"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"79","DOI":"10.1037\/0022-3514.88.1.79","article-title":"Gender differences in social support: A question of skill or responsiveness","volume":"88","author":"Neff","year":"2005","journal-title":"Journal of Personality and Social Psychology"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"253","DOI":"10.1111\/jgs.19156","article-title":"Development of loneliness and social isolation after spousal loss: A systematic review of longitudinal studies on widowhood","volume":"73","author":"Niino","year":"2025","journal-title":"Journal of the American Geriatrics Society"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"807","DOI":"10.1016\/0277-9536(91)90385-P","article-title":"Social support as a double-edged sword: The relation of positive and problematic support to depression among rheumatoid arthritis patients","volume":"33","author":"Revenson","year":"1991","journal-title":"Social Science & Medicine"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"567","DOI":"10.1037\/amp0000104","article-title":"Close social ties and health in later life: Strengths and vulnerabilities","volume":"72","author":"Rook","year":"2017","journal-title":"The American Psychologist"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"51","DOI":"10.3109\/10401239609148802","article-title":"Dating and remarriage over the first two years of widowhood","volume":"8","author":"Schneider","year":"1996","journal-title":"Annals of Clinical Psychiatry: Official Journal of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"197","DOI":"10.1080\/074811899201046","article-title":"The dual process model of coping with bereavement: Rationale and description","volume":"23","author":"Stroebe","year":"1999","journal-title":"Death Studies"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"279","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-2909.93.2.279","article-title":"Who suffers more? Sex differences in health risks of the widowed","volume":"93","author":"Stroebe","year":"1983","journal-title":"Psychological Bulletin"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1960","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(07)61816-9","article-title":"Health consequences of bereavement: A review","volume":"370","author":"Stroebe","year":"2007","journal-title":"The Lancet Infectious Diseases"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"738117","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2021.738117","article-title":"Does transition to retirement promote grandchild care? Evidence from Europe","volume":"12","author":"Tanskanen","year":"2021","journal-title":"Frontiers in Psychology"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B54","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"319","DOI":"10.1177\/00221465221109634","article-title":"Gender and social isolation across the life course","volume":"63","author":"Umberson","year":"2022","journal-title":"Journal of Health and Social Behavior"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B55","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101188","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaging.2023.101188","article-title":"Life-course transitions and exclusion from social relations in the lives of older men and women","volume":"67","author":"Urbaniak","year":"2023","journal-title":"Journal of Aging Studies"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B56","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"433","DOI":"10.1037\/0882-7974.19.3.433","article-title":"Substitution and compensation in the social networks of older widowed women","volume":"19","author":"Zettel","year":"2004","journal-title":"Psychology and Aging"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B57","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1471","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-030-22009-9_645","volume-title":"Encyclopedia of gerontology and population aging","author":"Zhang","year":"2022"},{"key":"2026100805431108400_gbag141-B58","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1385592","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1385592","article-title":"The impact of widowhood on the mental health of older adults and the buffering effect of social capital","volume":"12","author":"Zheng","year":"2024","journal-title":"Frontiers in Public Health"}],"container-title":["The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/psychsocgerontology\/advance-article-pdf\/doi\/10.1093\/geronb\/gbag141\/69876006\/gbag141.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"am","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/psychsocgerontology\/article-pdf\/81\/10\/gbag141\/69876006\/gbag141.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/psychsocgerontology\/article-pdf\/81\/10\/gbag141\/69876006\/gbag141.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T09:43:19Z","timestamp":1791452599000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/psychsocgerontology\/article\/doi\/10.1093\/geronb\/gbag141\/8740566"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Nekehia T","family":"Quashie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"(Social Sciences Section)"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,23]]},"references-count":55,"journal-issue":{"issue":"10","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/geronb\/gbag141","relation":{},"ISSN":["1079-5014","1758-5368"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1079-5014","type":"print"},{"value":"1758-5368","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published-other":{"date-parts":[[2026,10]]},"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,23]]},"article-number":"gbag141"}}