Participation in leisure activities after the death of a spouse

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Abstract
The main purpose of this exploratory study was to establish whether frequent participation in leisure activities helped widows and widowers adapt to widowhood. The study also examined whether more frequent participation in leisure activities by widows and widowers helped them maintain higher morale. A small sample of 60 recently bereaved widows and widowers who were living independently in a state capital in Australia was selected for the study. Each widow or widower was interviewed and provided responses to three scales measuring participation in leisure activities, adaptation to widowhood, and morale. Quantitative and qualitative research techniques were used to interpret the data. The leisure activities most frequently participated in by widows and widowers were found to be home‐based activities and mainly involved social activities with family and friends. Greater participation in leisure activities, especially with family and friends, was found to be significantly related to increased morale for recently bereaved widows and widowers. However, the study failed to find any association between participation in leisure activities and adaptation after the death of a spouse.

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