Relation between early parental death and life event ratings among 70-year-olds A TEST OF A SENSITIZATION THEORY

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Abstract
A subsample of 151 subjects from the population study “70-year-olds in Gothenburg” were given a questionnaire for life event ratings to be returned by mail. The 24 life events to be rated were events that are fairly common in advanced age. The subjects were instructed to record how an event would affect them personally. The ratings of subjects who had lost a parent by death before they were 16 were compared with those of subjects who had grown up together with both parents until they were 16. Bereaved men had lost their parent at 6.9 years of age and bereaved women at 9.9 years on average. Bereaved men attributed significantly less weight to five of the events and there were tendencies in the same direction for another three events. Bereaved women, on the other hand, attributed similar weights to the events as non-bereaved women. As possible explanations for the relation between bereavement and life event ratings, it is suggested that early bereavement might (a) cause a change in personality, with avoidance of involvement, (b) lead to a strong development of the defence mechanism denial, or (c) result in a very high standard of comparison.

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