Bereavement Status of Selected Widows and Their Coping Strategies

RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

sSSSCSCIENCESTECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
“Bereavement Status of Selected Widows and Their Coping Strategies”
An Undergraduate Thesis Presented to the

Faculty of College of Arts and Sciences
Rizal Technological University
In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the

Degree of Bachelor of Sciences in Psychology
By
Arlene E. Arbis
Charmine T. Bacnaon
Kelly B. Fontanilla
April 2018
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES ii
APPROVAL SHEET
This undergraduate thesis entitled “Bereavement Status of Selected Widows and

Their Coping Strategies” prepared and submitted by Arlene E. Arbis, Charmine T.
Bacnaon and Kelly B. Fontanilla, in partial fulfillment of the course requirements for
the degree of Bachelor of Science in Psychology, has been examined and hereby
approved.
March 13, 2018 Prof. Remedios Basco

Date Thesis Adviser
Approved in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of

Science in Psychology by the Oral Examination Committee.
PANEL OF EXAMINEES
Prof. Rodrigo DP. Tomas M.A., RGC

Chairperson
Prof. Faustino E. Oguan Jr. Prof. Russelle Ane A. Dela Cruz

Member Member
Accepted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of

Science in Psychology.
April 13, 2018 Dr. Susan E. Puyat

Date Dean
College of Arts & Sciences
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The researchers wish to express their sincerest gratitude and appreciation to Prof.
Remedios Basco, our thesis adviser for her full patience and support in reviewing,
giving contributions and providing comments to make the research study possible.
To the widowed spouses, the respondents, for their involvement, effort, and time
by patiently and honestly answers the questionnaires;
To panelist and validators who corrected, reviewed and made suggestions for
the improvement of our research paper;
To our friends and classmates for showing support and inspired us to keep
forward in this study;
To our family who inspire us, by giving moral, financial support and
encouragement in the pursuant of this research;
and most especially to God Almighty for giving us the grace in pursuing this
research and for making all of this possible.
A.E.A
C.T.B
K.B.F
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES iv
ABSTRACT
This research study entitled “Bereavement Status of Selected Widows and Their
Coping Strategies”. It aimed to determine the relationship of coping mechanism and
bereavement status of selected Widows in Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasay, Quezon, and
Taguig City. The researchers chose one hundred six (106) widows as the respondents
through getting the whole population.
The researchers used Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WAYS) and Two Track
Bereavement Questionnaire. The Ways of Coping Questionnaire is 66-item
questionnaire containing a wide range of thoughts and acts that people use to deal with
the internal and/or external demands of specific stressful encounters. The Two Track
Bereavement Questionnaire; a 70-item self-report questionnaire was designed to assess
response to loss over time. Track 1 focused on the bereaved biopsychosocial
functioning and Track II concerned the bereaved ongoing relationship to the range of
memories, images, thoughts and feeling states associated with the deceased.
The researchers used a descriptive method. Descriptive surveys were based on the
assumption that the answer to the research question may exist in the present. The
objective of descriptive survey is to collect information in a systematic way.
Majority of the respondents belongs to the age group of 60 years old and above,
declared having 3 dependents, have attained high school, unemployed, and being
widowed for about 5 years and below. The bereavement of the widows where primarily
affected by the capacity and incapacity of an individual to manage major distress and
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES v
also by the severity of the death of her loved one. Most of the widows have already
coped up from the grief that they have experienced. The coping strategy that they
mostly utilized is the positive reappraisal wherein, they become more optimistic beyond
the loss they have experienced. On the different factors of bereavement, the utilization
of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies varies from the nature of the
stress and ability of the widow to overcome the grief.
With the different conclusions that was lead out of the study. The researchers
came up with the following recommendations. Widows must undergo in grief or
bereavement counselling which can be helpful to normally function as an individual
who suffered in an overwhelming loss and to move on. Finally, future researchers may
use this study in a qualitative method for deeper understanding of the bereavement
status and coping strategies of widows. They may also include widowers, as their
subject.
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Approval Sheet ii
Acknowledgement iii
Abstract iv
Table of Contents vi
CHAPTER
I. THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
Introduction 1
Theoretical Framework 4
Statement of the Problem 8
Hypothesis 9
Research Paradigm 10
Significance of the Study 11
Scopes and Delimitation of the Study 11
Definition of Terms 12
II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Widowhood 16
Widows in the Philippines 17
Challenges of Widowhood 19
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES vii
Contemporary Bereavement 21
The Models of Bereavement 23
The Process of Recovering from Grief 26
Two-track model of Bereavement 28
Biopsychosocial Function 30
Perception of Trauma 31
Relational Active Grief 32
Close and Positive Relationship 33
Conflictual Relationship with the Deceased 34
The Concept of Coping 35
Coping Strategies 36
Coping to the Grief 39
Synthesis 42
II. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Method Used 44
Population Frame and Sampling Scheme 45
Description of Respondents 45
Instrument Used 46
Data Gathering Procedure 48
Statistical Treatment of Data 49

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES viii
IV. PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
Profile of the Selected Widows by Age 51
Profile of the Selected Widows by Educational Attainment 52
Respondent’s Profile According to Dependents 53
Respondent’s Profile According to Their Occupation 55
Respondents Profile According to Years Being Widowed 56
The Bereavement Status of Widows 57
The Coping Strategies of Widows 58
Correlation Between the Bereavement Status and Coping strategies 60
V. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary of Findings 67
Conclusions 68
Recommendations 69
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES ix
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDICES
Appendix A: Permission to Use the Ways of Coping Questionnaire
Appendix B: Public Domain of TTBQ
Appendix C: Survey Questionnaire
Appendix D: Tables of Bereavement Status by Factors
Appendix E: Table of Coping Strategies by Factors
Appendix F: Pearson-r Computations
Curriculum Vitae
CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
Introduction
The status of widows in population still remains horrible as it affect both sexes in
different ways. The psychological effects of the person involved in these events are too
massive to adapt the changes easily. According to Trivedi (2009), widows were
painfully absent from the statistics of many developing countries. Growing evidence of
their vulnerability challenges many conventional views and assumptions about the
“invisible” group of women. (Trivedi, 2009)
Widowhood presents a myriad of economic, social and psychological problems,
particularly in the first year or so after the death of the spouse. A major problem for
both sexes is economic hardship. When the husband was the principal breadwinner, his
widow is now deprived of his income and the nucleus of the family is destroyed.
Furthermore, the disorganization and trauma that follow the death of the spouse seems
to be greater in women than in men (Fasoranti et al., 2007).
When a couple initially enters a marital union or marriage, they redefine their
individual identities and reconstruct their social reality that is shared by both married
partners. When the marital union is broken due to widowhood, that shared social reality
and individual married identity are also devastated. The survived spouse must then
reconstruct a new reality according to the social roles of contemporary widowhood, in
the Philippine culture; widows were not accepted to remarry after a year of the loss.
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 2
It was said to be the respect to the deceased husband. Discrimination is prone
to a widowed woman who remarries a month or less right after the death of her spouse.
They were described as flirty, unresentful, and unmannered by the society where they
belonged. Our society believed that when a couple initially enters a marital union or
marriage, they are one and will never be separated. When the marital union is broken
due to widowhood, the survived spouse must then reconstruct a new reality according to
the social roles associated with widowhood and modify the social reality.
The grief toward loss may also affect the widow psychologically and
emotionally. Grief is the different emotions that a widow can feel as she loses her
husband. When a widow experienced unexpected death of a love one, a person may feel
shock and disbelief and may go into denial until they can cope with the trauma. They
may feel that they are not going to cope if they depended on the deceased. They may
feel angry because they are now alone.
However, on the death of a spouse, widows undergo a conscious process of
adaptation in which they must alter the daily tasks and routine responsibilities that were
once shared by the couple to reflect the new reality. These conscious adaptations may
be termed as coping mechanism.
Coping mechanisms are the strategies people often use in the face
of stress and/or trauma to help manage difficult and/or painful emotions. Coping
mechanisms can help people adjust to stressful events while maintaining their emotional
well-being. Coping styles can be problem-focused—also called instrumental—or
emotion-focused. Problem-focused coping strategies are typically associated with

methods of dealing with the problem in order to reduce stress, while emotion-focused
mechanisms can help people handle any feelings of distress that result from the problem
(Rubinstein, 2016).
They follow some strategies for avoiding the sadness and loneliness that they
felt. Sometimes they are successful, but most of the time they fail; they may sacrifice
their views, their desire and escape their own demands. Positive coping mechanisms are
those that are not harmful for them. Negative coping mechanisms are which may be
harmful for them that may result with depression, thus, may result in to suicide.
Most widows rely on their own personal resources as well as the support of
others for the means to adapt their current situation. For those experiencing greater
difficulty, however, interventions like support groups and one-on-one program is an
effective way to move on, especially if they get into early in bereavement. Moreover,
the government lacks from supporting the widow women psychologically and
emotionally. There are private organizations that support widows but not all widows
can afford to seek help privately. Those who couldn’t afford were the ones who have a
hard time to cope and adapt their situation. Thus, this phenomenon may lead into
suicide and death if they could not handle the stress properly.
It is said that adapting to loss is a lifelong process; the primary reason of this
study was to know the bereavement status of the widows and their coping strategies that
could be helpful for the resilience or adaptation. The study wanted to recognize the
current situation of Filipina widows at this time.

Theoretical Framework
This study entitled Bereavement Status of selected Widows and Their Coping
Strategies would be based on Attachment Theory, Diathesis-stress model, Cognitive
Appraisal Theory. These theories are necessary to scrutinize the bereavement and
coping mechanisms of widows.
According to Wadeley (2000), Bereavement refers to the objective event of the
death of a loved one. Grief is the term used to summarize the many emotions that
follow bereavement, while mourning refers to the expression of grief. Mourning
happens both publicly and privately, behaviorally and psychologically, and includes the
accepted rituals of the cultural group.
According to Worden (2009),to fully comprehend the impact of a loss and the
human behavior associated in it, Bowlby’s attachment theory provides a way to
conceptualize the tendency in human beings to create strong affectional bonds with
others and a way to understand the strong emotional reaction that occurs when those
bonds are threaten or broken. According to Freeman (2005), Bowlby claims that
attachments de9velop early in life and offer security and survival for the individual. It is
when these affectional attachments are broken or lost, that individuals experience
distress and emotional disturbance such as anxiety, crying and anger. The emotions are
often expressed as mourning. He suggests four general phases of mourning that includes
numbing, yearning and searching, disorganization, reorganization. Numbing as
characterized by feelings of disbelief that the death has occurred, where the individual
often believes that the deceased person is still alive, it provides the grieving person with
temporary relief from the pain associated with the loss. This usually lasts for a short
period and is typically followed by emotional outbursts. Yearning and Searching,
whereas anger and frustration is common at this phase, the numbness starts to fade
away and comes to mind clearly and realized the deceased loved ones. Grieving
individual is searching for someone to put the blame on. Disorganization or the
Accepting phase, it is when the grieving individual accepted the reality of the loss and
together with all the chaos. It may bring and evaluating of self without the deceased.
And reorganization, it is when the grieving individual accepts the reality of loss and
attempts to move on and has gradual changes to start new life (Worden, 2009).
According to Worden (2009), Distress is mediated by one’s coping choices, how
inhibited one is with feelings, how well one handles anxiety, and how one copes with
stressful situations. According to Sincero (2012), coping refers to an individual’s
attempt to tolerate or minimize the effect of the stress, whether it is the stressor or the
experience of stress itself. Coping referred to as a technique of dealing with stressful
events and situations and taking actions to retain balance. Coping can either be external
or internal. According to Feist & Feist (2008) the difference between defense
mechanism and coping mechanism is by the state of the person; consciously or
unconsciously.
One factor that can affect the coping of a person according to loss is the
Diathesis-Stress Model. According to Sincero (2012), the diathesis-stress model
describes how genetic or biological factors interact with environmental stress which
results in a disorder or condition. Specifically, this theory purports that an individual’s

biological vulnerabilities, or predispositions, to particular psychological disorders can
be triggered by stressful life events. Stress may be defined as a nonspecific response to
perceived environmental threats called stressors. But a particular environmental change
a demand or an event may be perceived by one person as stressful and by another as
benign. However, Cannon (1920) recognized that the autonomic nervous system is
activated in response to stress and suggested that stress mobilizes the body's responses
in readiness for either attacking (fight) or fleeing (flight) an enemy or threatening
situation. Characteristic or attribute that reduces the stressor; protective factors are
skills, strengths, or resources that help people deal more effectively with stressful
events. Enhance resilience and help to counterbalance risk factors. Resilience is an
individual's ability to successfully adapt to life tasks in the face of social disadvantage
or other highly adverse conditions. Resilience is ineffable quality that allows some
people to be knocked down by life and come back stronger than ever. It is the ability to
regulate emotions, and the ability to see failure as a form of helpful feedback. Even
after misfortune, resilient people are blessed with such an outlook that they are able to
change course and soldier on.
Another factor that can affect the coping of an individual is the Cognitive
Appraisal Theory. Lazarus and Folkman (1984) define coping as the changing
thoughts and acts that an individual use to manage the external or internal demands of
stressful situations. The death of a loved one certainly makes such demands. Coping
styles vary from person to person. Lazarus stated that cognitive appraisal occurs when a
person considers two major factors that majorly contribute in his response to stress.
These two factors include: (1) The threatening tendency of the stress to the individual,
and (2) The assessment of resources required to minimize, tolerate or eradicate the
stressor and the stress it produces. According to Ntoumanis et al. (2009), Lazarus and
Folkman viewed stress not as a stimulus or a response, but as a person–environment
relationship that is perceived as taxing or exceeding person’s resources. According to
the study of Baqutayan (2015), different individuals use different coping strategies,
inanition to that different problems lead individuals to use different coping strategies in
different times. In general, cognitive appraisal is divided into two types or stages:
primary and secondary appraisal. Primary appraisal involves the determination of an
event as stressful. During primary appraisal, the event or situation can be categorized as
irrelevant, beneficial, or stressful. If the event is appraised as stressful, the event is then
evaluated as a harm/loss, a threat, or a challenge. A harm/loss refers to an injury or
damage that has already taken place. A threat refers to something that could produce
harm or loss. A challenge event refers to the potential for growth, mastery, or some
form of gain. Lazarus argues that we cannot assess the origins of stress by looking
solely at the nature of the environmental event; rather stress is a process that involves
the interaction of the individual with the environment. These categories are based
mostly on one's own prior experiences and learning. Also, each of these categories
generates different emotional responses. Harm/loss stressors can elicit anger, disgust,
sadness, or disappointment. Threatening stressors can produce anxiety and challenging
stressors can produce excitement. This theory helps to integrate both the motivational
aspects of stress and the varying emotions that are associated with the experience of
stress. Secondary appraisal occurs after assessment of the event as a threat or a
challenge. During secondary appraisal the individual evaluates his or her coping
resources and options. In order for an event to be appraised as a stressor, it must be
personally relevant and there must be a perceived mismatch between a situation's
demands and one's resources to cope with it (Cordon, 1997).
Statement of the Problem
This study aims to determine the Bereavement Status of selected Widows and
Their Coping Strategies
1. What is the demographic profile of the widows?
1.1 Age
1.2 Educational Attainment
1.3 Occupation
1.4 Number of dependents
1.5 Number of years being widowed
2. What is the bereavement status of the widow?
2.1 Biopsychosocial Function
2.2 Perception of Trauma
2.3 Relational Active Grief
2.4 Close and Positive Relationship
2.5 Conflictual Relationship
3. What are the coping strategies of widows?
3.1 Confrontive coping

3.2 Distancing
3.3 Self-controlling
3.4 Seeking Social Support
3.5 Accepting Responsibility
3.6 Escape-Avoidance
3.7 Planful Problem Solving
3.8 Positive Reappraisal
4. Is there a significant correlation between coping mechanism and bereavement?
Hypothesis of the Study
There is a significant correlation between bereavement status and coping
strategies of the widows.
The research paradigm that guides this study is shown in Figure 1 below.
INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

Bereavement Status • Tabulation, Identified utilization
analysis, and
*Biopsychosocial Function
interpretation of of coping strategies
*Perception of Trauma
*Relational Active Grief
data using of the widows
*Close and Positive statistical formula
*Relationship of :Percentage, Identified
*Conflictual Relationship Weighted Mean, bereavement status
chi square, Pearson
Product of of the widows based
The coping strategies of Moment on factors.
widows
Coefficient
Correlation Identified
*Confrontive coping
*Distancing relationship of
*Self-controlling • To identify the
*Seeking Social Support effect of the bereavement status
*Accepting Responsibility adaptation and and coping
*Escape-Avoidance coping mechanism mechanisms
*Planful Problem Solving of the widows.
*Positive Reappraisal
Figure 1.Research Paradigm

The figure shows the input-process-output. The input includes the demographic
profile of the respondents which consist of age, educational attainment, occupation,
number of dependents, number of years being widowed. The process contains
tabulation, analysis and interpretation of data using statistical formula. It includes the
data gathering via questionnaires about their adaptation and coping mechanisms. Data
gathered were be analyzed by the formula of percentage, weighted mean, and Pearson
product of moment coefficient correlation. The output is to find out the significant
correlation of bereavement status and coping mechanisms among the selected widows
in Metro Manila.
Significance of the Study
This study will be conducted with the belief that it will bring benefits with the
following:
Widowed Spouse. This study will provide information about widowed spouse
and will give them anticipations about what coping mechanisms would they better use.
To help them to have better bereavement and coping from the devastating loss of a love
one.
Family and Relatives. This study will provide information to families who had
experience loss, and how they can understand what a grieving individual going through
and on how they can handle them.
Future Researchers. This study will provide them information regarding
related issues that they may use for their studies. However, it may also give them
information about the coping mechanism and adaptation that might give them interest to
research more. It would also give them anticipations on what is widowhood and what is
the impact of loss of a loved one in terms of psychological, physical, emotional, social
and spiritual.
Scope and Delimitation of the Study
The researchers focused on the relationship of bereavement and coping
mechanism of widows. Researchers conducted the study in the different places within
Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasay, Quezon City and Taguig City. The respondents must be
age 20 years old and above, and willing to answer the survey questionnaires. The
respondents must have a minimum of 2 years being married with the deceased husband.
Illegitimate wife is not included in the study. The researchers gathered 106 participants
in this study. However, there are few widows, who were currently in a new relationship
who answered the questionnaire and somehow may affect to the overall coping
strategies and bereavement status of the widows. Yet, the confidence of the researcher
on the consistency and reliability of the result were still intact. The respondents were
given the purpose of the study. They were treated anonymously and respected their
privacy. This research study did not be involved in any form of harassment to them and
must not damage any property that belongs to the respondents.

Definition of terms
The following are definitions of necessary terms in the study, for clearer
understanding the terms are operationally identified:
Accepting Responsibility. It is showing an acknowledgement on one’s own
role in the problem with a concomitant theme of trying to put things right. In this study,
widows accepted the situation and trying to be a better one.
Adaptation. In this study, adaptation is the current status of the widow after the
loss that she had been experienced. It is based on her total functioning in the current day
and her total functioning when remembering her deceased husband.
Bereavement. Bereavement is consist of grief and mourning wherein grief is
the different emotions that a widow may feel and the mourning is the action she make
to release the grief that she feel.
Biopsychosocial Function. This relates to how people function naturally and
how this functioning is affected by the devastating life experience that loss may entail.
In this study, biopsychosocial functioning affects the bereavement status of the widows
based on each widows total functioning. This may involve their physical abilities to
cope from the stress.
Close and Positive Relationship. It describes the relationship with the person
that a man or woman have lost. In this study, close and positive relationship affects the
bereavement status based on how close and beautiful the relationship of the widow to
her deceased husband.

Conflictual Relationship with the Deceased. This is concerned with how the
bereaved maintain and change their relationships to the deceased. In this study,
conflictual relationship with the deceased affects the bereavement status of a widow due
to guilt and shame of the widow to the deceased husband because of their unresolved
issues.
Coping Mechanism. In this study, coping mechanism are the strategies of the
widow to adapt and cope from her devastating experience of loss. Coping mechanism
are based on how the widow interact with her group, how she evaluate her situation,
how she value herself and start a new life beyond loss of husband.
Confrontive Coping. It describes taking aggressive efforts to change the
situation to the point of being risky and antagonistic. In this study, confrontive coping is
one of the strategies that widows might be taking action, facing responsibilities and
dealing with difficulties and problems calmly and effectively.
Distancing. Distancing is a strategy that widows can use in order to reduce
stress and moving away into a threatening situation.
Escape-Avoidance. It describes the wishful thinking and behavioral efforts to
escape or avoid the problem. In this study, Escape-Avoidance coping strategy is what
widows trying to do in able to avoid dealing with the problems.
Planful Problem Solving. It is a coping through analysis and planning to
resolve the situation.

Positive Reappraisals. It is when a person tries to grow from the experience of
dealing with the stress. In this study, it is a coping strategy where in widows positively
adapt to the stressful life event that they may face.
Relational Active Grief. An explanation in bereavement status in which it is
reflected in the degree of which the bereaved spouse was preoccupied with the imagery
of the deceased, and was actively involved in thinking about his late husband. In this
study, relational active grief affects the bereavement status of the widows due to
preoccupation of her late husband.
Self-Controlling. It is a coping strategy wherein it describes the person’s effort
to regulate his or her feelings and actions. Self-control strategies help widows to be
aware and to make the appropriate changes.
Seeking Social Support. In this study, Social support from others indicates that
a widow must feel the belongingness and this is an important factor in the face of stress.
Social support can manifest as verbal or non-verbal communication of caring and
concern.
Traumatic Perception to loss. It is the extent to which thinking about the
deceased leads into a negative self-view. In this study traumatic perception to loss
affects the bereavement status of the widows due to the different severity of the death
that occurred.
Widowhood. It is a term used as the state of which one person loses his or her
spouse. In this study, widowhood merely tackles about the adaptive status of the wife
after the loss of her husband and her coping mechanisms in as she deals with her
everyday stress.
Widows/Widower. A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while
a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to
death is termed widowhood. In this study the term widow is used to term for legitimate
wife of which had experienced loss of a husband.

CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter includes major findings, ideas, generalizations, principles, or
conclusion, synthesis and others. Those that were included in this chapter helps in
familiarizing information that is relevant and similar to the present study.
Widowhood
Loss of a spouse is considered one of life’s most stressful experiences. This is
especially true for women who were not encouraged to develop financial and emotional
independence when their husbands were still alive. Widowhood is a term used to define
the phenomenon of losing one’s spouse due to death. Widowhood had different series
of process of adaptation, in which they must alter the daily routine that once were
shared by married couple to reflect new reality (Trivedi, 2009). Death of spouse sets
alot of adjustment, in which the widows not only cope with the grief and emotional
distress caused by the loss but also redefine the social reality that once shared by the
couple (Trivedi, 2009). In a marital union, two different individual identities will merge
and construct new social reality that would be shared by married couple. When the
marital union is broken due to widowhood, the shared reality and social reality will be
shattered. Thus, widowed person must then reconstruct a new reality according to the
social rules associated with widowhood and modify the old ones that were associated
with marital union (Ogweno, 2010). Widowhood presents a lot of problems

psychologically, emotionally and financially. In a nuclear family wherein the husband
as the primary supplier of the needs of the family. When the husband dies, all the
responsibilities left by him will be passed through the wife. She will act as the
breadwinner and now deprived by the responsibilities for the family (Trivedi, 2009).
Another is loneliness, wherein the person feels a strong sense of emptiness and solitude
resulting from inadequate levels of social relationships (Bandana, 2015). Widowhood
was associated with elevated anxiety among to those highly dependent on their spouses
and less to those was not dependent. The levels of yearning were lower for widowed
person whose relationships were conflicted and higher for those reporting high levels of
marital closeness and dependence on their spouse.
Widows in the Philippines
The well-being of a woman continues to be tied to her marital status whether she
is single, divorced or widowed. Widows remain amongst the most vulnerable members
of society. It is estimated that the numbers of widows around the world to be in the
region of 245 Million, of which 115 Million live in poverty as had been shown in her
article about the challenges faced by the widows. According the Philippine National
Statistics, on the latest census, as of 2015, there are 1.4 percent of widows from the total
population of Filipino’s marital status (Bersales, 2015).
Beyond these numbers there are norms for widowhood that is need to be
followed and is accepted in the view of the society. According to Holmes and Baer
(2012), the etiquette surrounding mourning varies from country to country and also
from generation to generation. Some European women are reduced to wearing black for
the rest of their days and never remarrying. Some Indian women join their dead
husbands on their funeral pyres. The advent of socially acceptable progress in the
Philippines that influences widow’s behavior are the respect for the memory of the
deceased, family pressures, the impact on the children, perceived societal expectations
and the needs of widow herself. Whereas, according to Holmes (2014), the most
important factor that influences the behavior of the widow toward loss is what the
widow herself wants. The balance of expectations of family, friends and local society,
and the effect on any children as against her own needs, may include her desire for
companionship and sex (Holmes & Baer, 2014). It is a “sin” in the eyes of people and in
the Philippine constitution for having a relationship right after the death of husband.
According to Calica (2015), In the Philippines, there was a law that punished widow
who engaged in other romantic relationship before or during 301 days of the death of
her legal husband. When the law was repealed, women engaging in premature marriage
were punished with arresto mayor or 1 month and 1 day to 6 months in prison, with a
refinement of an amount not exceeding 500 php. However, former president Benigno
Aquino signed into law on March 29, 2015. The Republic Act 10655 from
decriminalizing premature marriage as contained in the Revised Penal Code. The Law
states that, if a widow will marry within 301 days from the death of her husband, or
before having delivered if she had been pregnant at the time of his death, will no longer
face imprisonment or a fine of 500 (Calica, 2015).

Challenges of Widowhood
There are many factors that affecting widowhood. According to Brewer (2011),
widows also face discrimination across the globe, irrespective of cultures, religion,
ethnicity or whether they live in developed or developing countries. Brewer
concluded that, it is a fallacy to believe that all widows are looked after their sons or
daughters. According to the study of Brewer, between 15 and 20% of widows are under
the age of 45. Therefore, widows not only responsible for the custody of their own
family but also they look after their elderly parents.
According to Ogweno (2010), Grief over the loss of a loved one specially the
one who had played such a central role in one’s life for so many years, may affect the
widow’s health, making them to have more physical illness and are frequently admitted
to hospitals, thus lead to rise in the death rate.
According to the study of Jung-Hwa Ha et al. (2006), Spousal loss increases older
adults’ dependence on their children, 6 months after the loss yet decreases children's
dependence on their surviving parents. Patterns of post-loss parent-child exchanges
differ by gender of parent. Compared to widowers, widows are more dependent on their
children for financial and/or legal advice yet provide more emotional and instrumental
support. However, these gender differences are contingent on educational attainment.
Education decreases widows' dependence on children for financial and legal advice yet
increases widowers’ provision of emotional support to their children. The findings
suggest that devotion to traditional gender roles among married couples may influence
older adults' adaptation to spousal loss.

According to Trivedi, (2009) another factor affecting widowhood was the social
and psychological problems experienced particularly in the first year or after the death
of the spouse. Another problem associated with widowhood is loneliness. According to
Fasoranti et al., (2007) they suffer the fear of being alone and loss of self-esteem as
women, in addition to many practical problems related to living alone. They feel the
loss of personal contact and human association: therefore, they tend to withdraw and
become unresponsive. According to Hogan and Schmidt, Perceived lack of social
support by a bereaved person has been identified as a risk for difficulty recovering from
a death of a loved one.
Moreover, people respond differently to loss and overcome grief in their own
time (Trivedi, 2009). According to Rubin, for the most bereaved, time will heal the
grief of loss, the acute reaction will be lessened and there will be return to a
physiological, cognitive, interpersonal and intrapersonal homeostasis. Despite this, the
loss will generally cause permanently effects or changes in personality or the life course
of the bereaved individual. As a result, widows deal with normal grief and loneliness—
and they also have frightening doubts about financial security and their ability to
function on their own. However, once these issues are dealt with successfully,
widowhood can actually mark the beginning of a highly rewarding and satisfying
chapter of a woman’s life.
Contemporary Bereavement
Bereavement sometimes also referred to as grief, is a term used to describe the
sense of loss felt when a loved one passes away. This sense of loss may contain a host
of emotions, such as sadness, anger, guilt and/or frustration and anxiety, and the period
immediately following the death is often referred to as the mourning period. People
who are acutely bereaved or grieving may also be described as “in mourning” for the
deceased.
According Wadeley (2000), Bereavement refers to the objective event of the
death of a loved one. Grief is the term used to summarize the many emotions that
follow bereavement, while mourning refers to the expression of grief. Mourning
happens both publicly and privately, behaviorally and psychologically, and includes the
accepted rituals of the cultural group.
Gallagher (2017) cited three contemporary cultural practices related to death,
dying and bereavement. Orthodox Jews have rituals and phases of mourning that last
for one year. These rituals prescribe behaviors for the bereaved and support them
during their bereavement. The phases of mourning are Shiva, Sheloshim and Matzevah.
Shiva lasts for 7 days and during this time family will come together to express grief for
the deceased. Shelost him last for 30 days and is a transitional period which allows the
mourner to adjust to living without the deceased. A mourner is not allowed to marry
during this period. Matzevah comes after one year of mourning. It is the unveiling of
the tombstone of the deceased and marks the end of the official period of mourning.
Mourning may continue on anniversaries of the deceased.
However, The Maya Indians have a four day period after the bereavement during
which intense grief can be expressed and the deceased can be remembered and
discussed. After this period the bereaved are encouraged to return to their lives and
move on. The Maya Indians believe that a person’s spirit survives death and must leave
the material plane and enter the spiritual plane shortly after death. Therefore emotional
attachments with the deceased are severed quickly after the bereavement. It is thought
to be dangerous to detain the dead and widows are unclean until the rituals to free the
deceased have been completed.
Thus, In a Catholic bereavement the body will be prepared and laid in coffin by
professional undertakers. The body will then be brought back to the house of the
deceased and prayers will be offered by the mourners and priest for the soul of the
deceased. This will not last for more than a few days. During this period friends and
family of the deceased will come together and express their grief for the deceased. The
body will then be taken to the Church the night before the funeral and a service will be
held to welcome the body to the Church and the coffin will be blessed. The following
day a funeral mass will be held to celebrate the life of the deceased and prayers will be
offered for the deceased. The body will then be taken to be buried or cremated and a
short service will be performed by a priest to commit the body or the urn to the grave.
The grave will be consecrated and the deceased’s soul will be released to go back to
God. Mourners will then be invited to a lunch in honor of the deceased.
The Model’s of Bereavement
Kubler-Ross’s “Five Stages of Grief” model is perhaps the most widely-
recognized attempt to characterize commonalities in the way people deal with loss;
these are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance Baglione (2018). More
recent literature has demonstrated a shift from rigid stage- and phase-based models to
models that account for fluidity and individualism within the bereavement experience.
Stroebe and Shut’s Dual Process Model of bereavement demonstrated the tendency of
the bereaved to oscillate between reflecting on the loss and focusing on “restoration”.
Bonanno et al. (2002) five distinct grieving patterns included “common grief, chronic
grief, chronic depression, improvement during bereavement, and resilience”
Doka and Martin’s (2010) work highlighted factors such as personality and
culture as indicators of grief patterns. They also distinguished between styles of
grieving, showing that intuitive grievers express their grief through emotions, whereas
instrumental grievers express grief through action.
However, according to the recent study of Baglion et al. (2018), their findings
point to complicated grief as an individualized path fraught with emotion and soul-
searching. Though grief is highly personalized, from the different diversity of widow’s
experiences have shown a pattern emerge for the complicated grief journey. The start of
the journey is marked by confusion and isolation brought on by post-mortem stressors,
including stewarding the property left behind by the deceased and interacting with less-
than-understanding family and friends. Consequentially, complicated grievers often turn
to grief support groups, which can function as safe spaces to mourn and remember the
deceased in similar company.
By the findings that have been accumulated by Baglion et al. (2018), they
conceptualized a new model for complicated grief. The model consists of the following
phases: Fog, Isolation, Exploration, Immersion, and Stabilization.

Fog marks the beginning of the complicated grief journey, immediately after
the death. This phase is marked by the tasks which must be accomplished following a
death, such as handling the deceased’s paperwork and arranging the funeral. These
tasks, along with the shock and/or sadness of the death, entrap the complicated griever
in a “fog” of swirling emotions, including confusion, frustration, sadness, and anger.
Isolation then ensues, due to the inability of the complicated griever’s support
network to adequately address their pain. During this phase, complicated grievers may
withdraw into a state of loneliness and possibly depression. They may avoid
conversations with friends and family, stay at home when possible, and feel as though
nobody understands the pain of their grief.
Exploration is the wanting to emerge from their isolation, complicated grievers
eventually begin the process of Exploration, during which they seek out both informal
and formal support. Informal support may include reading materials such as books,
articles, blog posts, etc. or avenues of self-care for example, listening to music or
playing games on one’s phone. Formal support may include grief support groups or
counseling. During this time, complicated grievers also acclimate to their chosen
support structure. For in-person groups, this means attending a meeting for the first
time; for online groups, this means beginning to read others’ posts or posting one’s own
story.
Immersion, when complicated grievers invest themselves in their new support
structure. In person, this means returning to the group for regular face-to-face
interactions; online, this means frequently reading posts and/or sharing information
within the group. Immersion naturally leads to the threshold point. This is the point at
which complicated grievers venture down one of two main paths. They either become
overwhelmed by their chosen support structure and withdraw back into a phase of
isolation, thus, getting stuck in the grief loop or they may choose to move on to a
different support structure. In-person group members may opt to leave their group and
join an online group instead; conversely, online group members may choose to begin
attending an in person group while remaining only creatively involved in their online
group. We note that the threshold point appears to manifest sooner for in-person group
members; they will tolerate perhaps one or two meetings before moving on, whereas
online members may remain in the background of their groups for a while before
leaving.
Stabilization as a lifelong phase and certainly not the end of the grief journey,
this phase marks a period of resilience in which complicated grievers begin to fully own
their identity as grieving individuals. People established ownership in a variety of ways,
including maintaining and strengthening friendships with similar others they have met
along the grief journey and, often, engaging in social events and practices dedicated to
raising awareness of death and grief. “Stabilization” is not meant to convey a complete
resolution to loss, but rather a state of being in equilibrium, able to function in the
aftermath of loss on a daily basis without feeling debilitated by grief.

The Process of Recovering from Grief
The stages of grief and mourning are universal and are experienced by people
from all walks of life, across many cultures. Mourning occurs in response to an
individual’s own terminal illness, the loss of a close relationship, or to the death of a
valued being, human, or animal. There are five stages of grief that were first proposed
by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book On Death and Dying.
In bereavement, Widows spend different lengths of time working through each
step and express each stage with different levels of intensity. The five stages of loss do
not necessarily occur in any specific order. Often move between stages before achieving
a more peaceful acceptance of death.
Denial & Isolation. The first reaction to learning about the terminal illness,
loss, or death of a cherished loved one is to deny the reality of the situation. “This isn’t
happening, this can’t be happening,” people often think. It is a normal reaction to
rationalize our overwhelming emotions. Denial is a defense mechanism that buffers the
immediate shock of the loss, numbing us to our emotions. The widows block out the
words and hide from the facts. Widows start to believe that life is meaningless, and
nothing is of any value any longer. For most people experiencing grief, this stage is a
temporary response that carries us through the first wave of pain.
Anger. As the masking effects of denial and isolation begin to wear, reality and
its pain re-emerge. Widows are not ready and the intense emotion is deflected from the
vulnerable core, redirected and expressed instead as anger. The anger may be aimed at
inanimate objects, complete strangers, friends or family. Anger may be directed at the
dying or deceased loved one. Rationally, Widows knew that the person is not to be
blamed
Bargaining. The normal reaction to feelings of helplessness and vulnerability is
often a need to regain control through a series of “If only” statements. This is an attempt
to bargain. Secretly, Widows may make a deal with God or our higher power in an
attempt to postpone the inevitable, and the accompanying pain. This is a weaker line of
defense to protect us from the painful reality. Guilt often accompanies bargaining.
Depression. Two types of depression are associated with mourning. The first
one is a reaction to practical implications relating to the loss. Widows have spent less
time with others that depends on them. This phase may be eased by simple clarification
and reassurance. The second type of depression is more subtle and perhaps more
private. It is the quiet preparation to separate and to bid the widows loved one farewell.
Acceptance. Reaching this stage of grieving is a gift not afforded to everyone.
Death may be sudden and unexpected or we may never see beyond our anger or denial.
It is not necessarily a mark of bravery to resist the inevitable and to deny ourselves the
opportunity to make our peace. This phase is marked by withdrawal and calm. This is
not a period of happiness and must be distinguished from depression.
Coping with loss is ultimately a deeply personal and singular experience. The best thing
that a person can do is to allow themselves to feel the grief. Resisting the grief would
only prolong the natural process of healing.

The Two-Track Model of Bereavement
The Two-Track Model of Bereavement that is created by Simon Shimshon
Rubin in 1981 is a grief theory that provided deeper focus on the grieving process. The
model examines the long-term effects of bereavement by measuring how well the
person is adapting to the loss of a significant person in their life. The main objective of
the Two-Track Model of Bereavement is for the individual to “manage and live in
reality in which the deceased is absent” as well as returning to normal biological
functioning (Malkinson, 2012). Track One is focused on the biopsychosocial
functioning of grief which focuses on the anxiety, depression, somatic concerns,
traumatic responses, familial relationships, interpersonal relationships, self-esteem,
meaning structure, work, and investment in life tasks. Rubin (2010) Points out that
Track 1 is the range of aspects of individuals functioning across affective, interpersonal,
somatic and classical psychiatric indicators as considered and important in relation to
people’s responses to grief and loss. However, the significance of the closeness between
the bereaved and the deceased is important to Track 1 because this could determine the
severity of the mourning and grief the bereaved will endure. First track is the response
to the extremely stressful life events and requires adaption along with change and
integration.The second track focuses on the ongoing relationship of the immediate
family have with the deceased. Track two mainly focuses on how the bereaved was
connected to the deceased and on what level of closeness was shared. The stronger the
relationship to the deceased is will lead to a greater evaluation of the relationship with
heightened shock. Track two brings up both the positive and negative memories that
bereaved shared with the deceased and the degree of emotional involvement they have
shared causing reflection.
Any memory could be a trigger for the bereaved, the way the bereaved chose to
remember their loved one, and how the bereaved integrate the memory of their
deceased into their daily lives. An outcome of this track is being able to recognize how
transformation has occurred beyond grief and mourning (Rubin, 1999). By outlining the
main aspects of the bereavement process into two interactive tracks, individuals can
examine and understand how grief has affected their life following loss and begin to
adapt to this post-loss life. The Model offers a better understanding with the duration of
time in the wake of one's loss and the outcomes that evolve from death. By using this
model, researchers can effectively examine the response to an individual’s loss by
assessing the behavioral-psychological functioning and the relationship with the
deceased.
According to Rubin (1999) two-way track model of bereavement is in accord
with the psychodynamic and interpersonal approaches to loss; its framework considered
the effect of loss through the prism of a weakening or change in the tie to the deceased.
In the absence of the bereaved’s return to earlier levels of functioning following grief, it
was assumed that there is a continuing difficulty in the working through of loss, and
particularly in separation from the deceased. This difficulty may be reflected in somatic
or psychiatric symptoms emotional, interpersonal, or cognitive difficulties, but in any
event, the precipitant and maintaining cause was in the difficulty in ‘‘separation’’ from
the deceased.
The Two-Track Model of Bereavement includes the following main features.
The first axis or track is reflected in how people function naturally and how this
functioning is affected by the cataclysmic life experience that loss may entail. The
second axis is concerned with how people are involved in maintaining and changing
their relationships to the deceased. The bereaved may not always appreciate the extent
or be aware of the nature of this relationship and their investment in it, or of their
consequences. Nonetheless, this component is critical for what the human bereavement
response involves across the lifecycle.
Biopsychosocial Function
Biopsychosocial Function according to Dr George Engel and John Romano
introduces the idea that there are biological, psychological, and social determinants to
mental health. This idea links the outside world to someone’s biology and psyche. It
also involves our consciousness, sentiments, and behaviors. (Cardoso, 2013)
biopsychosocial perspective is so useful for it explains the things that affect some
people who are seemingly “healthy” that can get mental illnesses and reason out some
people prone mental illness than others.
According to Hedgepeth (2014) major depression, does not just consist of
minute spells of poor mood, rather it is considered a tireless state of negative self-
perception that negatively controls individuals/ behavior. Recent experiments have
indicated that to main regions of the prefrontal cortex, the left and bilateral prefrontal
cortex, each have a significant role in mood disorders, one specific to motivational
behavior, and the other specific to withdrawal behavior. Additionally, it was found that
depressed individuals suffered from abnormalities in interhemispheric, cortical-limbic,
and thalamocortical connectivity. However, it is unclear as to which depressive
symptoms, or which forms of depression for that matter, result from specific inhibitions
of said connectivity. Regardless, reduced hippocampal volume is consistently
considered as a contributor to depression among different. Elevated levels of cortisol or
a stress hormone directly affect hippocampal volume reduction, which results in
depressive symptoms, and memory loss difficulty with declarative memory.
Perception of Trauma
According to Boe (2014).Traumatic stress is defined as having experienced,
seen, or been confronted with a single event or series of events that involved death,
serious injury, or threat thereof, or a threat to one's own physical integrity or that of
others. In addition, a person must have reacted with intense fear, helplessness, or horror
at the above mentioned event or events. If these two criteria are met, a person is said to
have been exposed to traumatic stress. However on bereaved individual, the more
preventable the loss is perceived as being, the greater the impact. In particular, if the
bereaved person feels as though he or she should have been able to prevent the death or
the deceased should have been able to prevent it, the likelihood of complications is
higher.
According to Chapple et al., (2015) research suggests that suicide and other
traumatic death may be particularly difficult for people to talk about or even
acknowledge. Eighty (80) people were interviewed about bereavement due to suicide or
other traumatic death and used interpretative thematic analysis to consider whether the
'death taboo' is evident in these bereavement narratives. People referred to suicide as a
different, even stigmatized, death but they also found that those bereaved through other
traumatic death felt that their reactions had to be contained and relatively silent. The
exception was those bereaved through terrorism or train crashes, who were encouraged
to grieve openly and angrily: reactions to deaths which are seen as 'private troubles'
differ from reactions to deaths which are seen as 'public issues'. Using a symbolic
interactionist approach and concluded that the shock and suddenness of the death is tied
up both with the circumstances of the death (suicide, murder, accident, terrorism) and
the attendant consequences for the social acceptance of public displays of mourning.
Relational Active Grief
According to Alasko (2011) human beings form life-long attachments, and when
these connections are lost or broken, people suffer a considerable emotional and
physical pain. At the same time, though, people developed an emotional process that
allows them to heal from the losses and called as grief.
In its simplest form, grief is the open admission from the loss of something that
is very important to one’s life and well-being. People have a unique way to express
grief and other strong emotions namely, crying. While some other animals also have
tear ducts, those seem to function solely to cleans the eyes, not to release emotion-based
tears. Crying releases a significant concentration of bio chemical, along with a number
of other chemicals and hormones related to stress and anxiety. Active crying expresses
grief and affects the emotional well-being in a positive way. Feeling and expressing
grief is much more than just crying, there's a significant mental component which can
make the process much more effective: Consciously "letting go" of the lost person,
animal or thing plays a big role in how well people heal. Research on the issue of
grieving points out that recuperating from a loss through grieving is a very individual
process. Some people benefit from being in processing groups and others does not. The
common factor in successfully moving through grief is coming to the full and open
acceptance of the fact that a loss has occurred. Talking to other people about the loss
and crying over it brings those feelings into the open. All of emotions including the
anger that often occurs with loss will tend to dissipate and become less powerful once
they are openly expressed.
Close and Positive Relationship
According to Abbott et al. (2007) Aron and colleagues on 1991 suggested that in
close relationships, one identifies the other person as part of one’s self-concept. The
stronger the relationship to the deceased is will lead to a greater evaluation of the
relationship with heightened shock. According to Morrisey (2018) intimate
relationships may also experience a slow period if the grieving individual does not feel
like becoming physically close to others. Finally, some relationships may not
experience any changes if grief is not intense, if it is fleeting or if partners are able to
give and receive support in an open and “efficient” manner.

Conflictual Relationship with the deceased
According to FitzGerald (2008), having unresolved relationship with the
deceased may result to guilt and may affect the acceptance of the death. Adults have
extreme difficulty with guilt for even having the “ambivalent” feelings. As the person
wants to resolve the conflict towards the deceased, it exaggerates the torment rather
than diminishing it.
The Concept of Coping
Individuals are said to be in the state of coping when they try to reduce the
impact of a loss or suffering. They might be taking action, facing responsibilities and
dealing with difficulties and problems calmly and effectively. Coping is also like
dealing with a problem as same as fixing the hurt. As part of coping, individuals also
take actions in reducing stress and they are doing their best in coping with the loss.
According Sincero (2012), coping refers to an individual's attempt to tolerate or
minimize the effect of the stress, whether it is the stressor or the experience of stress
itself. Coping means responding to loss, contending to complexities and acting to beat
them. It is also referred to as a technique of dealing with stressful events and situations
and taking actions to retain balance. This is indeed a struggle to move on. Coping is a
human approach that intends to solve problems by taking the right approaches and
courses of actions. Coping can either be external and internal. In case the problem is
unsolvable or prolonged, this is probably because the problem involves permanent loss
like chronic illness, broken relationship or even death.
According to the theories of personality by Feist & Feist (2008) the difference
between defense mechanism and coping mechanism is by the state of the person;
consciously or unconsciously. The Defense Mechanisms constructs by Sigmund Freud
in 1926 is one of state-oriented theories of coping. Wherein, the ego is protected
unconsciously from the anxiety and stress (McLeod, 2009). He conceptualized number
of defense mechanism based on his two basic forms; intellectualization and repression.
According to Feist & Feist (2008), Alfred Adler’s concept of safeguarding tendencies
was similar to Freud’s defense mechanism. However, the difference of safe guarding
tendencies from defense mechanism is it was operated at largely conscious state and
shields a person’s fragile self-esteem from public disgrace.
According to Ntoumanis et al. (2009), Lazarus and Folkman viewed stress not
as a stimulus or a response, but as a person–environment relationship that is perceived
as taxing or exceeding person’s resources. According to the study of Baqutayan (2015),
different individuals use different coping strategies, inanition to that different problems
lead individuals to use different coping strategies in different times. Coping is a process
that it changes over time. A person may use an emotion-focused strategy and then shift
to a problem-focused strategy or vice versa.

The Coping Strategies
Coping defined as a conscious effort of a person to reduce the stress. On some
studies coping have differences on both sexes. According to the study of Mary Davis,
there is evidence that males often develop stress due to their careers, whereas females
often encounter stress due to issues in interpersonal relationships. In other studies,
women tend to employ emotion-focused coping and the "tend-and-befriend" response to
stress, whereas men tend to use problem-focused coping and the "fight-or-flight"
response, perhaps because societal standards encourage men to be more individualistic,
while women are often expected to be interpersonal.
According to Tajrishi et al. (2011) problem focused coping, focuses on the
changing or modifying the fundamental cause of the stress. It can be an effective
method of coping for it is practical, and the stressor is changeable or modifiable. The
main goal for this type of coping is to reduce or remove the cause of the stressor. This
type of coping focuses on individuals' taking control of the relationship between them
and the stressor. In addition, problem-focused coping may include employing
information seeking, or developing strategies to avoid the source of the stress. People
using problem-focused strategies try to deal with the cause of their problem. They do
this by finding out information on the problem and learning new skills to manage the
problem. Problem-focused coping is aimed at changing or eliminating the source of the
stress. The three problem-focused coping strategies identified by Folkman and Lazarus
are: taking control, information seeking, and evaluating the pros and cons. Problem-
focused coping has the potential to resolve stress, by evaluating options, seeking
information, and taking control of the situation. According to the study Laurette
education on 2012, the effectiveness of problem-focused coping depends on whether
the stressor can be managed by changing it. Thus, Carver (2011) found problem-
focused coping had a biological effect on stress, lowering the cortisol levels and
promoting recovery from the stress.
Problem-focused coping is ineffective when an individual cannot exert control
over a circumstance or stressor, or cannot make an adjustment to the stressor (Carver,
2011). An example of ineffective problem-focused coping is utilizing problem-solving
to manage the stress of the death of a family member. Although problem-solving may
assist the individual in finding an effective coping strategy, problem solving is not the
most effective coping strategy since the stressor or the death of a loved one cannot be
adjusted or modified.
Another coping strategy is the Emotion-focused coping. Emotion-focused coping
strategies are effective in the management of unchangeable stressors. These coping
mechanisms involve a cognitive reappraisal process that includes self-reflection and
taking control over one's emotions (Carver, 2011). Rather than changing the problem,
emotion-focused coping examines the emotional response to the stressor. Folkman and
Moskowitz on 2004 found that it relieved depression and anger in some circumstances.
In addition, emotion-focused coping can facilitate expressing and processing emotions
as a prelude to reappraising unchangeable stressors.
Emotion-focused coping according to Linda and Fiest (2009) is oriented toward
managing the emotions that accompany the perception of stress. The five emotion-
focused coping strategies identified by Folkman and Lazarus are: disclaiming, escape-
avoidance, accepting responsibility or blame, exercising self-control, and positive
reappraisal. Emotion-focused coping is a mechanism to alleviate distress by
minimizing, reducing, or preventing, the emotional components of a stressor. This
mechanism can be applied through a variety of ways, such as: seeking social support,
reappraising the stressor in a positive light, accepting responsibility, using avoidance,
exercising self-control, and distancing. The focus of this coping mechanism is to change
the meaning of the stressor or transfer attention away from it. For example, the
reappraising tries to find a more positive meaning of the cause of the stress in order to
reduce the emotional component of the stressor. Avoidance of the emotional distress
will distract from the negative feelings associated with the stressor. Emotion-focused
coping is well suited for stressors that seem uncontrollable for example a terminal
illness diagnosis or the loss of a loved one (Carver, 2011). Some mechanisms of
emotion focused coping, such as distancing or avoidance, can have alleviating outcomes
for a short period of time; however they can be detrimental when used over an extended
period. Positive emotion-focused mechanisms, such as seeking social support, and
positive re-appraisal, are associated with beneficial outcomes. Emotional approach
coping is one form of emotion-focused coping in which emotional expression and
processing is used to adaptively manage a response to a stressor.

Coping to the Grief
There are different theories that influence the coping with bereavement.
According to Camelin (2017) the Freudian theory has been really influential on
grasping how bereavement functions, new theories developed in the last 20 years shows
a new way of both interpreting grief and help the patient heals from it. The Dual-
Process approach, for instance, differentiates two types of stressors that affect the
bereaved, “loss-orientation” and “restoration orientation”. The “loss-orientation”
stressor is basically the focus of the bereaved on the deceased, on grief work, while the
“restoration-orientation” is trying to avoid grief, for instance avoiding movies that talks
about cancer, or places that could trigger grief, reminding the deceased. For Stroebe and
Shut, bereavement is a constant oscillation between these 2 stressors rather than a linear
collection of stages (Lister et al., 2008). The “restoration-orientation” stressor is
pushing the bereaved to deal with secondary losses, replacing what the deceased was
doing in the relationship with the bereaved, for example cooking, or taking care of
finances.
A constructivist approach developed by Neimeyer (2010) explains that why
most bereaved will cope with their loss after the second year of grieving, certain people
experienced complicated grief, where for instance the deceased died violently.
Complicated grief can be helped following a meaning-reconstruction model, helping the
bereaved find a meaning to his/her loss (Lister et al., 2008). The bereaved, while
actively participating in grieving and not being passive can rewrite or revisit herself
narrative by assimilating the loss, following a pre-mourning narrative or

accommodating the loss by for instance of trying to see the positive side of mourning,
exploiting their new sensitivity. In one instance, a therapist re-explores the funeral
pictures of a bereaved mother who lost her child during pregnancy. This catharsis helps
her revisit her trauma from an outside perspective, helping her giving a meaning to her
grief (Neimeyer, et al., 2010). Another form of therapy is used more and more often for
helping bereaved persons, relying on a self-expression using painting, sculpture, music,
drawing, performing arts and moving images: art therapy.
Art therapy has often been used as an accompaniment to psychotherapy.
Compared to a classic therapy, art therapy does not rely on a conversation only to
communicate thoughts with the patients; it uses the full spectrum of art and other
creative practices as a form of treatment (Camelin et al., 2017). Art therapy also relies
also on a non-linear approach seen above to grief work through for instance balancing
the loss orientation stressors with activities that emphasize joyful memories (Lister et
al., 2008). Art therapy does not really rely on technical artistic skills, but more on
expression. The purpose of doing the artwork is not for art’s sake but for therapy, for
healing the patient. This form of therapy is limited by the art technical skills of the
patients or the therapist.
According to Camelin et al. (2017) another way of expressing the grief towards
art is the videotherapy. Videotherapy is also a cathartic tool used by therapists, for
instance, the Ma’aleh School of TV, Film and the Arts in Israel has a videotherapy
department where they trained therapists and filmmakers to use videotherapy to help
various types of traumas, including bereaved families. Focusing on storytelling,

videotherapy helps the bereaved giving a meaning to their grief by re-editing the
narrative, by being exposed to the trauma again, a form of catharsis. As video
production often requires working with others, it also forces the patient to open to
others, to seek for help and communicate with his partners. While art therapy requires
the service of a therapist and focus mostly on healing rather than on the final art piece,
it is a very effective therapy for patients suffering from acute grief. Moving images
while requiring more expertise, experience and time, has been proven to help therapists
reach their patient, let them be in control of their trauma.
According to John Gallagher (2017), rituals can also help widows in lessening
the grief that they experienced. Rituals are important in response to loss as they
facilitate the mourning process of the bereaved and provide their physiological,
psychological and social needs during this time. Rituals provide a context for grief to
be expressed by the bereaved family and friends. The expression of grief helps people
to cope with the pain of loss and in many traditions it shows respect and reverence for
the deceased. Family and friends will come together and support the bereaved during
their time of emotional crisis and this will provide healing for the bereaved. People
have a context to come together and talk openly about the deceased. They can share
their feelings and release their emotions which will help them come to terms with their
loss. Funeral rituals help people to accept the reality of the death and move on with
their life. Rituals provide a rite of passage for the bereaved in which they let go of old
identities and are then able to enter into new relationships. Rituals will state the
meaning of death for a particular faith or belief and this will provide meaning for the
bereaved and help them to accept death. In some cultures rituals are not only for the
benefit for the bereaved they are also to assist the spirit of the deceased to come to
terms with the transition from their material existence into the spirit-world.
Another is experiential activities which includes writing a letter to the deceased
or writing a poem about them. These activities help a person to process their grief,
release the pain of grief and achieve closure. The act of writing engages the thinking
part of the mind. The energy of painful feelings is discharged in the process of writing
and the perspective of the individual can shift from being highly emotive to rational and
philosophical. People can gain a more objective view of their loss and circumstances.
Another experiential activity which can be useful for grieving is the empty chair
technique. However, completing unfinished business is an important and effective
experiential activity to help people to gain closure and move on. Planting a tree in
memory of the deceased can help with the loss and gives the bereaved a living symbol
to associate with their loved one (Gallagher, 2017).
Synthesis
Widowhood, or the disruption of marriage due to the death of the spouse, is a
source of great emotional pain and stress. Becoming a widow is not an easy thing to
handle, but widows can survive the tragedy happens in their life and sometimes it only
takes time and will. However, accepting fate is hard especially for those who are highly
subjective, dependent, submissive, and also having unresolved issue to the deceased.
After going through the grieving process and coping with the loss of a life
partner, many widows experience intense loneliness that somehow made her
incompetent of doing some of things. Regardless of the type of death or circumstances
surrounding it, widows have a hard time to adjust emotionally and physically. A widow
may have a lot of different strategy on how to cope up on the bereavement and grief
they are facing. Coping strategies may be based on their biological capacity of widows
to adjust from the stressful life events and based on the accumulation of different
negative and positive output from past experiences.
Some widows can forget the pain through getting involved in some activities or
trying to communicate and socialize to other people and simply some widows do not.
The extreme challenge that a widow may experience beyond death of spouse is
returning in to resilience. It is hard especially when the woman truly dependent to her
deceased husband. Resilience is when the widows must find their homeostasis from
adjusting and adapting. Adjusting, allows widows to return their well-being from the
loss that they have experienced by accepting the reality. Adapting, allows widows to
settle in new experiences and help the widows to be a catalyst of their family.
However, there are also therapies that may help widows to adjust and cope from
their loss. In this present time, art therapy helps bereaved person to cope from the loss.
By drawing, painting, crafting, carving and such helps individuals to release their
emotions to lessening the grief they have experienced.

CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter compacts with research methods that are necessary in this paper.
Specifically, the population frame and sampling scheme that is needed to get the right
number of respondents, the description of the respondents, the instrument used in
gathering data, the data gathering procedure, and the statistical treatment of data.
Research Method Used
The research method used in this paper is the descriptive method; it is primarily
concerned with the adaptive status and coping mechanism of the respondents. It is a
purposive process of gathering, analyzing, classifying, tabulating data about prevailing
conditions, processes and relationships and then making adequate and accurate
interpretations about such data with the aid of statistical method.
The descriptive survey approach was used in this paper. Descriptive surveys were based
on the assumption that the answer to the research question may exist in the present. The
objective of descriptive survey is to collect information in a systematic way. Descriptive
surveys are also carried out to describe populations, to study associations between
variables and to establish trends and possible links between variables. Developed to
discover facts and test theories, descriptive survey design can be discovered by asking
questions and recording answers systematically. Moreover, surveys can be useful when
researchers want to collect data on phenomenon that cannot be directly observed.

The participants answered the questions through survey questionnaires and the
researchers described the responses given (Jackson, 2009).
Population Frame and Sampling Scheme
The researchers concentrated to the study on the bereavement status and coping
mechanism. The focused respondents of this study are the widows who residing in
Taguig City, Quezon City, Mandaluyong City and Makati City. Purposively, the
researchers anticipated to target 106 of widows.
The selection was done using purposive sampling technique. The researchers
used purposive sampling or also known as judgmental sample. The subjects were
selected based on the characteristics that were set by the researchers.
Since the researchers have set specific group, namely, widows in Metro Manila,
It may not be possible to specify the population because there is no defined number of
total population of widow residing in Taguig, Quezon, Mandaluyong, and Makati City.
Purposive sampling is non-representative subset of some larger population, and is
constructed to serve a very specific need or purpose that best suit the study.
Description of the Respondents
The respondents came from different cities in Metro Manila, namely Taguig City,
Quezon City, Pasay City, Mandaluyong City and Makati City. The researcher decided
to consider widows who lost their husband due to combat, sickness or illness, accidents
or victims of EJK. The wife must have a minimum of 2 years of relationship with her
deceased husband. She must be a legitimate wife of the deceased. She must be 20 years
old and above. Moreover, 80 years old and above would still be considered as long as
they could still respond to the questionnaire, and the researcher valued the health of the
respondents.
Instrument Used
To gather the data, the researchers used standardized survey questionnaire namely
Ways of Coping (WAYS) by Susan Folkman, PH.D., and Richard S. Lazarus, Ph.D.
for determining the coping mechanism of widows and Two Track Bereavement
Questionnaire (TTBQ) by Simon Shimshon Rubin, Ofri Bar Nadav, Ruth Malkinson,
Dan Koren, Moran Goffer-Shnarch and Ella Michaeli for determining the bereavement
status of the widows, wherein, if they have a low bereavement status, the widow have
been adapted the loss of her husband. This instrument included section on participants’
informational background where name (optional), age, educational attainment,
occupation, number of dependents, and number of years being widowed.
The Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WAYS) is 66-item questionnaire
containing a wide range of thoughts and acts that people use to deal with the internal
and/or external demands of specific stressful encounters. The Ways of Coping, the
subject responds on a 4-point Likert scale (0= does not apply and/or not used; 1= used
somewhat; 2= used quite a bit; 3= Used a great deal).

High mean scores indicate the highly utilization of the coping strategy and low
mean score indicates the low utilization of the coping strategy in accordance to the
stress.
Two Track Bereavement Questionnaire (TTBQ) a 70-item self-report
questionnaire was designed to assess response to loss over time. Track 1 focuses on the
bereaved biopsychosocial functioning and Track II concerns the bereaved ongoing
relationship to the range of memories, images, thoughts and feeling states associated
with the deceased. Two-track bereavement Questionnaire has 5-point likert scale (1-
true, 2- mostly true, 3- so- so, 4- mostly not true, 5- not true). Most of the questions
are all negative statements; however there are reversal of scores and interpretation of
positive statements by section. The Track 1 or the bereaved’s biopsychosocial
functioning consist of 2 dimension namely, biopsychosocial function, perception of
trauma. The Track 2 or the bereaveds’ ongoing relationship to the range of memories,
images, thoughts and feeling states associated with the deceased also have 3 dimensions
namely: Relational active grief, close and positive relationship and conflictual
relationship with the deceased.
High mean scores of the factor indicates more problematic behaviors and/or
more intense relationship to the deceased. Low mean score of the factor indicates low
problematic behaviors and perhaps widows have good adaptation regarding to loss.
The study used standardized test, WAYS and TTBQ to identify the coping
mechanism and bereavement status of selected widows. The questionnaire is divided
into three (3) parts, fist part determines the profile of the widows, second part
determines their coping strategies towards stressful situations, and lastly, their
bereavement status regarding to the loss of husband. To interpret the result of the
survey, the researcher used ordinal scale based on the intervals to determine the
utilization of coping strategies, and the status of the bereavement.
Data Gathering Procedure
The researchers administered the survey by themselves. The researchers found
widows in different institutes like Camp Aguinaldo and Fort Santiago where surveyed.
They are merely, the widows of deceased soldiers. Next, the researchers disseminate the
questionnaire to different Cities in Metro Manila with the help of friends who lived
within Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasay, Taguig and Quezon City. The researchers asked
permission to the widows that are willing to answer the standardized questionnaire.
Each participant was presented copy of questionnaires. Before administering the
questionnaire, the researchers carefully discussed the purpose and significance of the
instrument in accordance to the study and to the participants itself. The researchers also
gave a brief background regarding the study and asked for the sincerity of the
respondents. In return, the confidentiality of their answers was assured.
When the survey was over, the researchers gave thanks to the respondents. After
the distributed questionnaires have been retrieved, the researchers tallied the results and
tabulated it quantitavely using tables and figures. Statistical analysis was used to
analyze and to interpret relevant data collected.

Statistical Treatment of Data
To answer the specific questions stated in chapter I of the paper, analysis of data
through a statistical computing package was done and the following statistical tests
were used.
1. Percentage. This test was used to show the tally count of the respondents in terms of
their informational background.
Formula:
𝒇
𝑷= × 𝟏𝟎𝟎
𝒏
Where:
P = percentage
f = frequency
n = number of sample
2. Weighted Mean. It is an average that takes into account the importance of each
value of overall total. It was specifically used to determine the average response of
each sample from the questions in the instrument.
Formula:
∑(𝒇𝒙𝟏 + 𝒇𝒙𝟐 + 𝒇𝒙𝟑 +⋯ + 𝒇𝒙𝒌 )

WM = 𝒏𝟏 +𝒏𝟐 +𝒏𝟑 +⋯+𝒏𝒌
Where:
WM = Weighted Mean
f𝒙𝟏 , 𝒇𝒙𝟐 , … , 𝒇𝒙𝒌 = weight of responses in each of the questions being considered
𝒏𝟏, 𝒏𝟐 , … , 𝒏𝒌 = Total Number of Observations’
3. Pearson Product of Moment Coefficient Correlation r. This is a test of
relationship between two variables. It was used to determine the relationship
between the Coping Mechanism and Adaptation of Selected Widows.
Formula:
𝒏 ∑ 𝒙𝒚−∑ 𝒙 ∑ 𝒚
r=
√[𝒏 ∑ 𝒙𝟐 −∑(𝒙)𝟐 ][𝒏 ∑ 𝒚𝟐 −∑(𝒚)𝟐 ]
Where
n = number of sample
x = the independent variable
y = the dependent variable.
Coping Strategy Utilization Scale

Highly Utilized (2.25-3.00)
Utilized (1.50-2.24)
Slightly Utilized (0.75-1.49)
Not Utilized (0.00-0.74)
Bereavement Status
Negative Statements Scale Positive Statements
Very High 4.20-5.00 Very Low
High 3.40-4.19 Low
Average 2.60-3.39 Average
Low 1.80-2.59 High
Very low 1.00-1.79 Very High
CHAPTER IV
Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of Data
This chapter presents the results, analysis, and interpretation of data relative to
Bereavement Status of Selected Widows and Their Coping Strategies in accordance
with the methodology and specific objectives of the study. The order of discussions
based on the specific problem cited in Chapter I.
Table 1
Profile of the Selected Widows by Age
Age Frequency Percentage
20-29 6 5.66
30-39 17 16.04
40-49 22 20.75
50-59 29 27.36
60 and above 32 30.19
Total 106 100.00
Table 1 shows the distribution of total respondents in accordance with their age.
From 106 total respondents, there are 32 or 30.19% of widow falls in 60 and above.
There are 29 or 27.36% of widows having ages from 50 to 59 years old, 22 or 20.75%
having ages of 40-49 years old and 17 or 16.04% having ages from 30-39 years old.
Thus, there are 6 or 5.66% of widows’ age ranges from 20-29 years old. It reveals that
majority of the respondents are ages 60 and above. The data reveals that majority of the
widows are under 60 years old and above, this implies that widowhood is also affected
by old age. The most common causes of widowhood on old age widows are death on
natural causes, illness and deceases. The common causes of widowhood on younger
ages are death on combat, attack, extra judicial killings and sickness.
However, younger widows have a lot of time to adapt from the death of her
husband and may also engage in remarrying. Older widows can also adapt in loss of
husband by focusing on her grandchildren and siblings. People cope differently with
negative events at different ages was assessed by relation to age by type of situation
perceived as potentially stressful and by type of coping strategy used, and also whether
the kind of coping strategy used to reduce the potential stressor was related to type of
stressor (Montiero et al., 2014).
According to Itzhar-Nabarro & Smoski (2012), Regardless of the type of death or
circumstances surrounding bereavement, older widows typically adjust psychologically
without therapy within one year following the death of their spouse. However, younger
widows are at higher risk for suicide than all other age populations.
Table 2
Profile of the Selected Widows by Educational Attainment
Education Frequency Percentage
Elementary Graduate 10 9.43
High School Graduate 55 51.89
College Graduate 41 38.68
Total 106 100.00
Table 2 shows the distribution of the total respondents in accordance to their
educational attainment. The table shows that there are 55 or 51.89% of widows who
have attained high school. Wherein, there are 41 or 38.68% of widow who have attained
college degree or tertiary level. There are 10 or 9.43% of widow who have attained
elementary level. The data declared that majority of respondents have attained high
school level.
As being reflected on the table, majority of widows have attained high school
level. The result is being reflected also in the table number 4 where in majority of
widows are unemployed. The highest educational attainment of low status people are
high school. Wherein, most of them cannot find a decent work and settle as a house
wife.
According to Lightbur et al. (2007) Research on stress and coping suggest that
individual with low educational attainment or less than a high school diploma and lived
in high-stress communities may possess limited coping strategies. However, as the
result had been manifested with widows as a subject, educational attainment has
nothing to do with highly utilization or utilization of the different coping strategy.
Table 3
Respondent’s Profile According to Dependents
Dependents Frequency Percentage
0 3 2.83
1 6 5.66
2 25 23.58
3 26 24.53
4 19 17.92
5 10 9.43
6 9 8.49
7 4 3.77
8 2 1.89
9 2 1.89
Total 106 100.00
Table 3 shows the distribution of the total respondents with their declared
dependents. As reflected on the data, there are 26 widows or 24.53% of the total
respondents have declared 3 dependents. There are 25 widows or 23.58% of the totality
declared to have 2 dependents, 19 widows or 17.92% of the whole population have 4

dependents, 10 widows or 9.43% of the whole population had declared 5 dependents.
There are 9 widows or 8.49% of the totality has declared to have 6 dependents, 4
widows or 3.77% of the whole population has declared 7 dependents, 3 widows or
2.83% of the total respondents doesn’t have dependents. Lastly, there are 2 widows
have declared 8 dependents and also 2 widows have declared 9 dependents, both have
the same frequency of 1.89% of the total respondents. However, the data reveals that
majority of widows have 3 dependents to be cared on or relayed to after the loss of their
husband.
According to the data, majority of the widows have declared 3 dependents. In
the Philippine statistics, the average household family is 5 which consist of a father,
mother and three (3) siblings. But, being widow with having an age of 60 years old,
having 3 dependents and unemployed is hard to cope in the grief that they are
experiencing. The situation of the widow may also add on the grief or may help them to
overcome the grief.
According to Mulder (2010) Adult children’s ability to help their widowed
mother depends on their own needs and family responsibilities. Wealthier offspring are
less likely to live with an unmarried, aged mother. Number of living children has been
found to reduce the likelihood that any particular child will provide care, even when
mothers have specific expectations regarding which children will assume that role.
Thus, mothers with a larger number of living offspring may be less likely to receive
support from preferred children than are those with smaller families.
Table 4
Respondent’s Profile According to Their Occupation
Work Status Frequency Percentage
Employed 26 24.5
Self-Employed 16 15.1
Unemployed 64 60.4
Total 106 100.00
Table 4 shows the distribution of 106 total respondents in accordance to their
declared occupation. The data shows that majority of the widows or 64 out of 106 of the
total respondents have declared to have no occupation or unemployed. Wherein, there
are 26 widows or 24.5% of the total respondents declared that they are currently
employed and 16 widows or having 15.1% of the totality have declared they are self-
employed.
As being reflected in the table, 60 percent of the widows are unemployed.
Widows who are unemployed only rely on the pension of their deceased husband.
Stress of having financial problem may also add to the grief of the widows. However,
being unemployed also help the widows to cope from the grief, for they have a lot of
time to socialize with new group of peers. Moreover, the remaining 40 percent is being
shared by the widows with being employed and self-employed. Stress from the work
whereas as biting deadlines, overtime also add to the grief and made them harder to
cope.
According to Trivedi (2009), widowhood presents a lot of problems
psychologically, emotionally and financially. In a nuclear family, wherein the husband
is the primary supplier of the needs of the family, when the husband dies, all the
responsibilities left by him will be passed through the wife.

Table 5
Respondent’s Profile According to Years Being Widowed
Years being Widowed Frequency Percentage
5 years and below 39 36.79
5-10 years 31 29.25
11-20 years 15 14.15
21-30 years 11 10.38
30 years and above 10 9.43
Total 106 100.00
Table 5 shows the distribution of the total respondents according to the number
of years being widowed. The data shows that there are 39 widows or 36.79 percent of
the totality have been widowed for less than 5 years, 31 widows or 29.25% of the total
population have been widowed within a span of 5 to 10 years, 15 widows or 14.15% of
the whole population have become widow with a span of 11 to 20 years, 11 widows or
10.38% of the total respondents have declared of being a widow with a span of 21 to 30
years. Lastly, there are 10 widows or 9.43% of the 106 respondents have been declared
of being a widow with a span of 30 years and above. From the data above, the majority
of the respondents’ span of years being a widow falls on 5 years and below.
The data shows that most of widows are being widowed for less than 5 years.
Bereavement is a lifelong process that a widow may encounter. The long of
bereavement is unknown because it relies to what kind of relationship has between the
deceased and the widow. Some widows that the researcher encountered had a new love,
despite of having months of being widow. Some of them are still in grief even though
the death of her husband was nine (9) years ago.
According to Bennet (2010) in terms of the time-scale of effects for
bereavement, 2 years is often seen as an appropriate cut-off for the effects of

bereavement, and effects after this are often dismissed as not related to spousal loss.
And yet, there are consequences which may have a longer-term effect and are
concerned with the state of widowhood and its social and personal meanings. These
include personal consequences such as continuing to miss the deceased, loneliness, and
continuing restorative activities. There are also continuing changes to identity which
demonstrate the interaction between the intra- and inter-personal.
Table 6
Bereavement Status of Widows
Bereavement Status Weighted SD Verbal Interpretation
Mean
Biopsychosocial function 3.17 0.40 Average
Perception of trauma 3.17 0.59 Average
Relational Active Grief 2.76 0.46 Average
Close and Positive 2.28 0.63 Low
Relationship
Conflictual Relationship with 2.82 0.60 Average
the deceased
Table 6 shows the different bereavement status of widows. The data shows that
4 out of 5 factors of bereavement have average status based on 106 widows. The factors
with average bereavement status are as follows, Biopyschosocial function with
weighted mean of 3.17 and standard deviation of 0.40, Perception of Trauma with
weighted mean of 3.17 and standard deviation of 0.59, Conflictual Relationship with the
deceased with a weighted mean of 2.82 and standard deviation with 0.60, and
Relational Active Grief with a weighted mean of 2.76 and standard deviation of 0.46.
Moreover, the close and positive relationship has low bereavement status with a
weighted mean of 2.28 and standard deviation of 0.63.

As the data shows, the factors that mostly influence the bereavement of the
widows are the biopsychosocial function and perception of trauma. Both factors have
the same mean of 3.17, and average bereavement status. The data shows that majority
of the widow’s bereavement involved by their biological capacity to manage stress and
the ruthlessness of the death of their husband. Widow’s biological capacity to manage
stress and the ruthlessness of the death of the husband affects the severity of the grief of
the widows. On the contrary, close and positive relationship helps the widows to
bereave better. The data shows that most widows have low bereavement status on close
and positive relationship. This means that having good relationship with the deceased
partner help the widows to bereave positively and overcome the grief.
According to Bruhn et al. (2012), widow’s problems were biopsychosocial,
wherein, they experienced severe emotional and physiological responses to their loss
and the same time had to resolve a wide range of financial, social and ethical problems.
According to Boe (2014), on the bereaved individual, the more preventable the loss is
perceived as being, the greater the impact. In particular, if the bereaved person feels as
though he or she should have been able to prevent the death or the deceased should
have been able to prevent it, the likelihood of complications is higher. According to
Stahl et al. (2014) experiencing the loss of a spouse initiates multiple life changes, and
is rated as the life transition requiring the most readjustment. Although the psychosocial
correlates of late-life widowhood have been studied extensively, less research has
examined the impact of this life transition on health behaviours. Since love is perceived
to be the essence of life, the end of love can cause some people to wish to end life as
well: to sacrifice their life, or to kill others for love. Widowhood is associated with
psychological symptoms, including the onset of depressive symptoms. Depression may
in turn trigger physical symptoms including increased sleep disturbances and physical
ailment that impair bereaved elders’ daily functioning. Besides the emotional loss, older
adults’ social environment is dramatically changed. One of the most difficult challenges
may be the behavioral changes to compensate for their lost social partner.
Table 7
The Coping Strategies of Widows
Ways of Coping Weighted Mean SD Verbal
Interpretation
Confrontive Coping 1.55 0.55 Utilized
Distancing 1.62 0.64 Utilized
Self-Controlling 1.63 0.59 Utilized
Seeking Social Support 1.60 0.54 Utilized
Accepting Responsibility 1.73 0.65 Utilized
Escape-Avoidance 1.47 0.55 Slightly Utilized
Planful Problem Solving 1.75 0.52 Utilized
Positive Reappraisal 1.78 0.59 Utilized
Table 7 shows the utilization of different coping strategies of the widows. From the 8
coping strategies the most utilized coping strategy of the widows is Positive
Reappraisal with a weighted mean of 1.78 and standard deviation of 0.59. The next
coping strategy that most widows used is the Planful Problem solving with a weighted
mean of 1.75 and 0.52 of standard deviation, followed by Accepting Responsibility
with a weighted mean of 1.73 and standard deviation of 0.65. The next coping strategy
that most widows utilized is self-controlling with a weighted mean of 1.63 and standard
deviation of 0.59, distancing with a weighted mean of 1.62 and standard deviation of
0.64, seeking social support with a weighted mean of 1.60 and standard deviation of
0.54 and confrontive coping with a weighted mean of 1.55 and standard deviation of
0.55. However, widows slightly utilized the escape-avoidance coping strategy with a
weighted mean of 1.47 and standard deviation of 0.55.
As being ranked, the most utilized coping strategy of widows is the positive
reappraisal. It is when a widow tries to grow from the experience of dealing the stress.
Positive reappraisal is under the emotion-focused coping. People who utilized positive
reappraisal they tries to find a more positive meaning of the cause of the stress in order
to reduce the emotions. For widows who utilized positive reappraisal, it helps them to
be more optimistic beyond loss of husband. However, escape-avoidance is the least
utilized coping strategy of the widows. Escape-avoidance is also under the emotion-
focused coping, yet, people who utilize escape-avoidance only distract themselves from
the negative feelings associated with the stressor.
According to Kilburn and Whitlock (2012), positive appraisal is the reframing a
situation to see it in a positive light. Positive reappraisal has been significantly and
independently associated with increases in positive affect. Positive reappraisal has been
shown to increase positive affect. In a study ofcare-giving and bereavement, caregivers
commented on how their efforts showed their love for and preserved the dignity of their
sick loved one. This view helped the care-givers to see the stressful and painful
experience of caring for a sick loved one as worthwhile and important.
According to Allen et al. (2010), escape-avoidance as coping strategy involves
disengaging cognitively or behaviorally from the stressful experience. Traditionally,
researchers have viewed avoidant coping strategies as a variety of emotion-focused

strategy in which people avoid the stressor to manage their emotions. Avoidant coping
strategies are often viewed as maladaptive because they are related negatively to
psychological well-being but these results suggest that avoidant coping may be linked
only with the disengagement type of emotion-focused coping.
Table 8
Correlation of Bereavement Status and Coping Strategies of Widows
(IV)
Biopsychoscosi
Perception of
Relationship
Relationship
Active Grief
Conflictual
al Funtion
Relational
Close and
Pearson’s-r
Trauma
Positive
Remarks
Decision
(DV) r α r α r α r α r α
Confrontive .18 .05 - .39 .12 .18 - .73 - .73 Accep Significan
Coping 6 7 .08 8 9 6 .03 3 .03 2 t Ho t
3 4 4
Distancing .07 .47 - .90 .11 .23 .15 .10 .02 .82 Accep Significan
0 5 .01 9 5 9 7 8 1 8 t Ho t
1
Self- .10 .27 - .78 .06 .50 - .62 - .74 Accep Significan
Controlling 6 9 .02 6 6 4 .04 8 .03 3 t Ho t
7 8 2
Seeking .04 .65 - .12 .04 .67 - .09 - .17 Accep Significan
Social 4 1 .14 7 1 9 .16 8 .13 9 t Ho t
Support 9 2 2
Accepting .10 .28 - .11 .16 .09 - .49 - .65 Accep Significan
Responsibilit 4 8 .15 4 6 0 .06 8 .04 5 t Ho t
y 4 7 4
Escape- .19 .04 .19 .04 .00 .95 .00 .99 - .95 Accep Significan
Avoidance 5 5 5 5 5 9 1 1 .00 8 t Ho t
5
Planful .12 .21 - .58 .09 .34 - .39 - .54 Accep Significan
Problem 2 1 .05 4 3 5 .08 4 .06 4 t Ho t
Solving 4 4 0
Positive .11 .23 - .74 .11 .24 - .54 - .36 Accep Significan
Reappraisal 7 2 .03 5 4 5 .06 4 .09 0 t Ho t
2 0 0
Table 8 shows the correlation between the bereavement status and coping
strategies. This indicated the retention of the null hypothesis, there is a significant
relationship between the respondent’s bereavement status and their coping strategies.
The relational active grief as being correlated with the different coping
strategies, the data shows that there is a significant positive correlation between the two
factors. This implies that when a widow is under active grief, the utilization of the eight
coping strategies are positively correlates with the bereavement. As the widow was still
under active grief, she uses both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategy.
Whereas, they finding out information on the problem, minimizing the emotions and
learning new skills to manage the problem. According to Alasko (2011), Research on
the issue of grieving points out that recuperating from a loss through grieving is a very
individual process. Some people benefit from being in processing groups and others
does not. The common factor in successfully moving through grief is coming to the full
and open acceptance of the fact that a loss has occurred. Talking to other people about
the loss and crying over it brings those feelings into the open. All of emotions including
the anger that often occurs with loss will tend to dissipate and become less powerful
once they are openly expressed.
Close and positive relationship has positive and negative correlation with the
different coping strategies. Close and positive relationship has positive correlation with
escape-avoidance and negative correlation with confrontive coping, distancing, self-
controlling, seeking social support, accepting responsibility, planful-problem solving
and positive reappraisal. On the positive correlation, it implies that when the widow
have close and positive relationship with her deceased husband she is more likely to
resort on escape-avoidance. As the widow have positive outlook on her husband and
when he dies, the widow avoid the emotional distress and distract herself from the
reality of the loss. According to Abbott et al. (2007) Aron and colleagues on 1991
suggested that in close relationships, one identifies the other person as part of one’s
self-concept. The stronger the relationship to the deceased is will lead to a greater
evaluation of the relationship with heightened shock.
According to Morrisey (2018) intimate relationships may also experience a slow
period if the grieving individual does not feel like becoming physically close to others.
Finally, some relationships may not experience any changes if grief is not intense, if it
is fleeting or if partners are able to give and receive support in an open and “efficient”
manner. Moreover, Widows hold negative meanings of bereavement and perceive their
bereavement to be a harmful loss, but feel hopeful that they will view this loss in a
positive way in the future once problems are resolved. Widows coping abilities are
limited and may include the use of less adaptive strategies such as escape avoidance
(Routledge, 2014)
Conflictual Relationship with the deceased has positive correlation with the
eight coping strategies. This implies that as the widow have unresolved relationship
with the deceased, she utilizes both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping
strategies, wherein, the widows tries to develop strategies to avoid the source of the
stress, and change the meaning of the stressor to cope from it. According to FitzGerald
(2008), having unresolved relationship with the deceased may result to guilt and may
affect the acceptance of the death. Adults have extreme difficulty with guilt for even
having the “ambivalent” feelings. As the person wants to resolve the conflict towards
the deceased, it exaggerates the torment rather than diminishing it.

Biopsychosocial function has positive and negative correlation with the eight
coping strategies. Biopsychosocial function has negative correlation with confrontive
coping, self-controlling, seeking social support, accepting responsibility. This means
that when a widow’s bereavement where being influenced by her biological
incapability’s to cope on stress were high, she have a low utilization of many of coping
strategies and made her to be more subjective to distancing. Biopsychosocial function
has positive correlation with distancing, this means that as the widow have biological
incapability’s to cope from stress, she distant herself from the source of the stress in
able to overcome the grief.
According to Brubaker (1990) Short term involve selective remembering of the
spouse and idealization and/or sanctification of him or her in exceptionally positive
terms. This allows for distancing from the deceased spouse and permits the widowed
person to get on with a new life. While the goal of grief is to promote the acceptance of
loss, for some widowed persons a continuing tie to the deceased spouse can have long
term benefit.
Perception of trauma as same as biopsychosocial function, has also positive and
negative correlation with the eight coping strategy. Widows, who have a high traumatic
perception about the death of her husband, have low coping strategies utilization and
they are more to engage in distancing coping strategy. This implies that as the traumatic
experience of the death is high on the surviving spouse, she distant herself from the
people or things that in memory of her husband. According to Chapple et al. (2015)
research suggests that suicide and other traumatic death may be particularly difficult for
people to talk about or even acknowledge. According to Carver (2011), emotion
focused coping, such as distancing or avoidance, can have alleviating outcomes for a
short period of time; however they can be detrimental when used over an extended
period.
According to Brubaker (2014) Family, friends, and widowed others most often
support the widowed person during grief and mourning. Professionals are the persons
least likely to be mentioned in the support networks of the widowed; However, They
sometimes facilitate the development or expansion of these networks among the
bereaved. A variety of characteristics of the support network are associated with
successful coping and adaptation.

CHAPTER V
Summary of Findings, Conclusion, and Recommendations
This chapter presents the summary or the research work undertaken, the
conclusions drawn and the recommendations of a clearer presentation.
Summary of the findings
After careful analysis of the collected data, the following findings were drawn.
1. Out of one hundred six (106) total respondents, there are 32 widows or
30.19% of the total respondents have an age of 60 and above, and Only 6 widows or
5.66% of the total respondents have an age 20-29 years old. Based on their highest
educational attainment, there are 55 widows or 51.89% of the total respondents have
attained high school level, yet there are 10 widows or 9.43% of the total population has
attained elementary level. Based on the declared dependents of the widows, there are
26widows or 24.53% of the totality has declared 3 dependents, however, there are 2
widows or 1.89% of the total respondents have declared 9 dependents. Based on the
frequency of widows in terms of their occupation, there are 64 widows or 60.40% of
the total respondents were categorized as unemployed and there are 16 widows or
15.1% of the total respondents were categorized as self-employed. Based on the years
being widowed, the data shows that there are 39 widows or 36.79% of the total
populations have been widowed for less than 5 years, however, there are 10 widows or
9.43% of the total respondents have been widowed for 30 years and above.
2. The factors that mostly influence the bereavement of the widows are the
biopsychosocial function and perception of trauma. Both factors have the same mean of
3.17, and average bereavement status. On the contrary, close and positive relationship
helps the widows to bereave better. Widow’s biological capacity to manage stress and
the ruthlessness of the death of the husband affects the severity of the grief of the
widows.
3. The most utilized coping strategy of widows is the positive reappraisal with a
weighted mean of 1.78 and standard deviation of 0.59 and escape-avoidance as slightly
utilized coping strategy with a weighted mean of 1.47 and standard deviation of 0.55.
Most widows used reappraisal as they tries to find a more positive meaning of the cause
of the stress in order to reduce the emotions.
4. There is a significant correlation between the eight (8) coping strategies and
five (5) factors of bereavement.
Conclusions:
On the basis of above findings the following are drawn:
1. Majority of the respondents belong the age group of 60 and above years old,
declared having 3 dependents, have attained high school, unemployed, and widowed for
about 5 years and below.
2. The bereavement of the widows where primarily affected by the capacity and
incapacity of an individual to manage major distress and also by the severity of the death
of her loved one.

3. Most of the widows have already coped up from the grief that they have
experienced. The coping strategy that they mostly utilized is the positive reappraisal
wherein, they become more optimistic beyond the loss they have experienced.
4. On the different factors of bereavement, the utilization of problem-focused
and emotion-focused coping strategies varies from the nature of the stress and ability of
the widow to overcome the grief.
Recommendations:
Based on the findings and conclusions presented, the following
recommendations are suggested:
1. Widows must undergo in grief or bereavement counseling which can be
helpful to normally function as an individual who suffered in an overwhelming loss and
to move on.
2. Coping mechanisms could help the widow to minimize their grief but too
much utilization would lead to negative effect so the best way is to accept the reality.
3. A similar study could be conducted by future researchers may use this study
in a qualitative method for deeper understanding of the bereavement status and coping
strategies of widows. They may also include widowers, as their subject.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
Brubaker, Timothy (2007). Family Relationship in later life. Second Edition. Sage
Publications. (page 156)
Bruhn, J.G, Howard Rebach., (2012) Handbook of Clinical Sociology. Springer Science
Business Media New York (page 13)
Carver, C.S (2011). Coping. In R.J. Contrada & A. Baum (Eds), The Handbook of
stress science: biology, psychology, and health (pp. 221-229). New York, NY: Springer
Publishing Company
Feist, J., Gregory Feist., (2008) Theories of Personality 7th edition. The Mcgraw-Hill
Companies, Inc. pp 27-51
Lightburn, Anita (2007) Handbook of Community-Based Clinical Practice. Oxford

University press. (p. 248)
Wadeley, A., 2000. The Mourning After: Cultural Differences in Coping with
Bereavement. Psychology Review, 6(4), p. 8.
Thesis and Dissertation
Rubin, Shimson and Witztum Eliezer (2012) Working With the Bereaved: Multiple
Lenses on Loss and Mourning.
Ogweno, Catherine A. (2010). Widows and Widowers experiences and their coping
mechanisms in a deprived community. A case study of Kibera Slum.
Shimson, Rubin (2018) Bereavement of Israeli Arab Muslim widows: Determinants of

adjustment and supporting attributes. Death Studies 42
Journal
Bagutayan, SMS. (2012). The effect of anxiety on breast cancer patients. Indian Journal
of Psychological Medicine. 34(2). 119-123. Retrieved on February 2018 from
http://www.researchgate.net
Benett, Kate Mary & Soulsby, Laura (2010) Wellbeing in Bereavement and
Widowhood. Retrieved on December 2017 from
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/102190/IL.10.4.b
Bonanno, G. A., Wortman, C. B., Lehman, D. R., Tweed, R. G., Haring, M., Sonnega,
J., Carr, D., and Nesse, R. M. Resilience to loss and chronic grief: a prospective study
from preloss to 18-months postloss. Journal of personality and social psychology 83, 5
(2002), 1150–1164.
Camelllin, G., (2017). From Memories to Memorial: Healing Grief Through Moving
Image Creation. SUIC International Journal (Business & Management, Tourism &
Hospitality & Design), Volume 1, Issue 1.
Fasoranti O.O., Aruna J.O. (2007) A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Practices Relating

to Widowhood and Widow-Inheritance among the Igbo and Yoruba in Nigeria. Journal
of World Anthropology: Occasional Papers.;III(1):53–73.
Ha, Jung-Hwa, Deborah Carr, Rebecca Utz, Randolph Nesse (2006,January). Older
Adults’ Perceptions of Intergenerational Support After Widowhood. Journal of Family
Issues: Volume 27, Number 1. Retrieved on December 2017 from
https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/142784/Nesse-Ha-
InternSupport-FamIssues 2006.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Judith A. Seltzer, Esther M. Friedman. (2014,January). Widowed Mothers’ Coresidence

With Adult Children, The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Volume 69B, Issue 1,
Pages 63–74, Retrieved on February 2018 from. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbt072
Neimeyer, R., Burke, L., Mackay, M., Van Dyke Stringer, J. (2010). Grief Therapy and
the Reconstruction of Meaning: From Principles to Practice. Journal of Contemporary
Psychotherapy, 40, 73-83.
Ntoumanis , N., Strandage , M. (2009) Prosocial and anti-social behavior in sports: A

self-determination theory perspective. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 21, 365-
380. Retrieved on February 2018 from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15591816
Stahl, S. T., & Schulz, R. (2014). Changes in routine health behaviors following late-
life bereavement: A systematic review. Journal of behavioral medicine, 37(4),736-755.
Online Articles
Abbott, Andrew (2007) Mechanisms and Relations. Retrieved on February, 2018 from
http://www.rivisteweb.it
Alasko, Carl Ph.D (2011) Active Grieving Helps Healing. Retrieved on February 2018
from http://www.Psychologytoday.com
Allen et al. (2010) Self-Compassion, Stress, and Coping. Retrieved on December 2017
from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2914331/
Acosta, Persida (2016, August). Widow can remarry 301 day after husband death.
Retrieved on September 2017 from http://www.manilatimes.net/widow-can-remarry-
301-days-after-husbands-death/282073/
Axelrod, J. (2018) The 5 stages of Grief & Loss. Psych Central. Retrieved on March
2018 from https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-5-stages-of-loss-and-grief/
Bandana J., Shalini Agarwal (2015, July). Coping Strategies of Loneliness among
Elderly Widow and Widowers. Article in International Journal of Science and Research.
Retrieved on August 2017 form https://www.ijsr.net/archive/v4i7/SUB157139.pdf
Baglione A.N., Maxine Girard, Meagan Price, James Clawson, Patrick Shih (2018,
April). Modern Bereavement: A Model for Complicated Grief in the Digital Age.
Retrieved on February 2018 from.
https://www.academia.edu/35633012/Modern_Bereavement_A_Model_for_Complicate
d_Grief_in_the_Digital_Age
Bersales, Lisa Grace (2015). The Philippines in Figures 2015. Retrieved on September
2017 from
https://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/2013%20FLEMMS%20Final%20Report.pdf
Boe, Ollo (2014) Coping with Perceived Traumatic Events: A Case Study of a
Norwegian Officer. Retrieved on Decemeber 2017 from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212567115005341
Calica A., Rhodina Villanueva (2015, March). Noy signs law decriminalizing women’s
‘premature marriage’. The Philippine Star. Retrieved on August 2017 from.
https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/the-philippine-
star/20150329/281655368574722
Cardoso, Julia (2013). The Biopsychosocial Perspective to Mental Health and Illness.
Retrieved on February 2018 fromhttp://www.socialworkhelper.com
Chapple A, et al. (2015) Taboo and different death? Perceptions of those bereaved by
suicide or other traumatic death. Retrieved on February 2018 from
http://www.ncbi.nml.nih.gov.com
FitzGerald, Chloe (2008) Emotional conflict and Social context. Retrieved on February
2018 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.com
Gallagher, John (2017, August). Loss, Grief and Bereavement. Retrieved on February
2018 from.
https://www.academia.edu/28011457/_Grief_Loss_and_Bereavement_An_Overview._
Holmes M., Jeremy Baer (2014, September). Recently widowed – when to start dating
again? Retrieved on August 2017 from https://www.rappler.com/life-and-
style/relationships/70398-two-pronged-widow-dating
Kilburn, Ericka and Whitlock, Janis (2012) Coping Literature Review. Retrieved on
January 2018 from
http://www.drchadcoren.com/drchadcoren/Addiction_&_Mental_Health_Articles_&_R
esources_files/Suicide%20Coping.pdf
Lister, S., Pushkar, D. and Connolly, K. (2008). Current bereavement theory:

Implications for art therapy practice. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 35(4), pp.245-250.
Retrieved on February 2018 from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222194303_
Morrisey, Beth M. (2018) How Grief affects your Relationships. Retrieved on January
2018 from http://www.facingbereavement.co.uk/griefandrelationships.html
Nabarro, Z., and Moria Shomzki (2012) A Review of Theoretical And Empirical
Perspectives On Marital Satisfaction And Bereavement Outcomes: Implications For
Working With Older Adults. Retrieved on March 2018 from
http://www.tandfonline.com
Naji, Abi-Hashem (1991) Grief, Loss and Bereavement: An Overview. Retrieved on

February 2018 from.
http://www.academia.edu/28011457/_Grief_Loss_and_Bereavement_An_Overview.co
m
Sincero, Sarah Mae (2012) Stress and Coping Mechanisms. Retrieved on February 2018
from http://www.explorable.com
Tajrishi, K.Z., Shahram Mohammadkhani, Fatemeh Jadidi. (2011). Metacognitive

Belief and Negative Emotions. Retrieved on February 2018 from
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/pdf
Trivedi J. K., Himanshu Sareen, Mohan Dhyani (2009, January). Psychological Aspect
of Widowhood and Divorce. Retrieved on August 2017 from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3151454/
Appendices
Appendix A: Permission to Use the Ways of Coping Questionnaire
Appendix B: Public Domain of TTBQ
Appendix C: Survey Questionnaire
Appendix D: Tables of Bereavement Status by Factors
Appendix E: Table of Coping strategies by Factors
Appendix F: Pearson-r Computations

Appendix A:
Permission to use
the Ways of Coping
Questionnaire
Appendix B:
Public Domain of
TTBQ
(Two-way Track
Bereavement
Questionnaire)
Appendix C:
Survey
Questionnaire
Appendix D:
Tables of
Bereavement Status
by Factors
The Bereavement Status of the selected Widows by Biopsychosocial

Function
Biopsychosocial function Weighted Verbal
Mean Interpretation
*a1. My health is very good: 3.92 Low
a2. My mood is very depressed: 3.07 Average
a6. The direction of the changes in the meaning of my life has 3.16 Average
been for the worse only:
a8. I am involved and participate in various activities and 2.73 Average
tasks:
*a9. I function very well at work: 3.63 Low
a11. My self-perception this week has been almost totally 2.42 Low
positive:
*a12. I find it difficult to function socially: 3.15 Average
*a13. My relationship with my family are very good: 3.92 Low
a14. My relationship with my family are significant source of 1.65 Very Low
support for me:
*a16. My functioning as a spouse is very good: 3.83 Low
*a17. My functioning as a parent is very good: 4.03 Low
a18. My values and beliefs are a significant source of support 1.86 Low
for me:
*a19. I believe and trust in my abilities to cope on my own 3.90 Low
with the task of life:
Category Mean 3.17 Average
Std. Deviation 0.40
Bereavement Status Frequency Percentage (%)
Severe (4.20-5.00) 2 1.89
High (3.40-4.19) 27 25.47
Average (2.60-3.39) 72 67.92
Low (1.80-2.59) 5 4.72
Very Low (1.00-1.79) 0 0
Total 106 100.00
*reverse scoring and interpretation
The Bereavement Status of the selected widows by Perception of

Trauma
Perception of trauma Weighted Verbal
Mean Interpretation
a4. Since the loss, life seems very different to me: 3.07 Average
a5. Since the loss, the meaning of my life and of the world around 3.16 Average
me has changed greatly:
a10. Following the loss, how I think of myself (my self-perception) 2.73 Average
has changed greatly:
b17. Now I understand people who think about putting an end to 3.63 High
their own life after losing a close person:
d1. The loss was traumatic for me: 2.42 Low
d2. The loss happened suddenly and unexpectedly: 3.15 Average
d3. The loss took place under circumstances of violence or horror 3.92 High
(such as accident, terror, or self-harm) or other difficult
circumstances:
d7. I keep on experiencing the loss as a shocking and traumatic 1.65 Very Low
event in my life:
d8. Loss of the kind I experienced is usually experienced as a 3.83 High
most difficult event:
d9. The circumstances that caused the loss I’ve experienced are 4.03 High
usually considered as extremely difficult
d17. Before the loss, difficult events affected me for a short while 1.86 Low
only
*d20. I believe that I’m capable of handling my feelings and 3.90 Low
reactions to the loss without the support and help of others:
Std. Deviation 0.59
Severe (4.20-5.00) 0 0
High (3.40-4.19) 16 15.09
Average (2.60-3.39) 34 32.08
Low (1.80-2.59) 50 47.17
Very Low (1.00-1.79) 6 5.66
Total 106 100.00
The Bereavement Status of the Selected Widows by Relational

Active Grief
Relational Active Grief Weighted Verbal
Mean Interpretation
a7. Thoughts and feelings flood and confuse me: 2.79 Average
b4. Occasionally, I behave or act emotionally, as if I don’t believe that ___ 2.74 Average
is gone.
b5. I notice things that remind me of ___. For example, people that look 2.67 Average
like him, voices, or a feeling he’s around.
b6. I think of ___ all the time: 2.72 Average
*b7. I’ve reached a degree of acceptance of the loss of ___: 3.34 Average
b8. When I think of ___, I feel strong guilt and regret that I didn’t do things 2.82 Average
differently:
b10. I remember ___: 3.51 High
b13. Life without ___ is too hard to bear: 2.57 Low
b15. I yearn strongly for ___ and miss him deeply. 3.06 Average
b16. I feel pain whenever I recall ___: 2.75 Average
b18. I do things to keep alive and maintain the memory of ___. 2.25 Low
b20. It’s possible to define my situation today, following the loss, as 2.60 Average
suffering greatly:
d10. I see images or pictures from the death scene that enter my 2.78 Average
thoughts.
d11. I see images or pictures of ___ in my head. 2.80 Average
d13. I am tense and not relaxed 2.74 Average
d14. I am flooded by thoughts and feelings about the death of ___. 2.75 Average
Std. Deviation 0.46
Severe (4.20-5.00) 0 0
High (3.40-4.19) 11 10.38
Average (2.60-3.39) 55 51.89
Low (1.80-2.59) 39 36.79
Very Low (1.00-1.79) 1 0.94
Total 106 100.00
* Reverse Scoring and Interpretation
The Bereavement status of the selected Widows by Close and
Positive Relationship
Close and Positive Relationship Weighted Verbal
Mean Interpretation
b3. Because of ___’s virtues and unique qualities, it’s very hard to 2.40 Low
have negative thoughts about him:
c1. My relationship with ___ was very close: 2.05 Low
c2. During his life, ___ was a major source of emotional support for 2.13 Low
me:
c3. I was emotionally dependent on ___. 2.38 Low
c6. ___ was emotionally dependent on me. 2.67 Average
c8. ___ was the person closest to me: 2.25 Low
c9. Overall, my relationship with ___ was based on a sense of 2.24 Low
mutual trust.
c10. The relationship between ___ and I was based on mutual 2.12 Low
understanding, freedom, and sense of comfort or “flow”
Category Mean 2.28 Low
Std. Deviation 0.63
Bereavement Status Frequency Percentage
(%)
Severe (4.20-5.00) 1 0.94
High (3.40-4.19) 4 3.77
Average (2.60-3.39) 27 25.47
Low (1.80-2.59) 46 43.40
Very Low (1.00-1.79) 28 26.42
Total 106 100.00
The Bereavement status of the selected widows by Conflictual

Relationship with the deceased
Conflictual Relationship with the deceased Weighted Verbal
Mean Interpretation
*b2. Our relationship was such that when I think of ___, I usually 3.05 Average
remember our disagreements.
b11. I avoid things that remind me of ___: 3.14 Average
b14. Since the loss, I’ve discovered some negative things about 2.89 Average
___ that I didn’t know before. Those things changed what I
thought of him for the worse.
c4. My relationship with ___ had many and strong ups and 2.35 Low
downs:
c5. My relationship with ___ had much avoidance and distance. 2.85 Average
c7. My relationship with ___ was characterized by sharp 2.66 Average
changes between being
Std. Deviation 0.60
Bereavement Status Frequency Percentage
(%)
Severe (4.20-5.00) 1 0.94
High (3.40-4.19) 16 15.09
Average (2.60-3.39) 53 50.00
Low (1.80-2.59) 31 29.25
Very Low (1.00-1.79) 5 4.72
Total 106 100.00
Appendix E:
Table of Coping
Strategies by
Factors
The Coping Strategies of Widows as Confrontive Coping
Confrontive Coping Weighted Verbal

Mean Interpretation
6. I did something that I didn’t think would work, but 1.74 Utilized
at least I was doing something.
7. I tried to get the person responsible to change his 1.47 Slightly
or her mind.
17. I expressed anger to the person(s) who caused 1.36 Slightly
the problem.
28. I let my feelings out somehow. 1.77 Utilized
34. I took a big chance or did something very risky to 1.34 Slightly
solve the problem.
46. I stood my ground and fought for what I wanted. 1.61 Utilized
Category Mean 1.55 Utilized
Std. Deviation 0.55
Coping Strategy Utilization Frequency Percentage (%)
Highly Utilized (2.25-3.00) 11 10.38
Utilized (1.50-2.24) 56 52.83
Slightly (0.75-1.49) 33 31.13
Not Utilized (0.00-0.74) 6 5.66
Total 106 100.00
The Coping Strategy of Widows as Distancing
Distancing Weighted Verbal

Mean Interpretation
12. I went along with fate; sometimes I just have bad 1.73 Utilized
luck.
13. I went on as if nothing had happened. 1.60 Utilized
15. I looked for the silver lining, so to speak; I tried to 1.70 Utilized
look on the bright side of things
21. I tried to forget the whole thing. 1.55 Utilized
41. I didn’t let it go to me; refused to think too much 1.54 Utilized
about it.
44. I made light of the situation; I refused to get too 1.58 Utilized
serious about it
Std. Deviation 0.64
Highly Utilized (2.25-3.00) 20 18.87
Utilized (1.50-2.24) 46 43.40
Slightly (0.75-1.49) 31 29.25
Not Utilized (0.00-0.74) 9 8.49
Total 106 100.00
The Coping Strategies of Widows as Self-controlling
Self-controlling Weighted Verbal

Mean Interpretation
10. I tried not to burn my bridges, but leave things 1.57 Utilized
open somewhat.
14. I tried to keep my feelings to myself. 1.72 Utilized
35. I tried not to act too hastily or follow my first 1.55 Utilized
hunch.
43. I kept others from knowing how bad things were. 1.33 Slightly
54. I tried to keep my feeling about the problem from 1.76 Utilized
interfering with other things.
62. I went over in my mind what would say or do. 1.78 Utilized
63. I thought about how a person I admire would 1.67 Utilized
handle this situation and used that as a model.
Std. Deviation 0.59
Highly Utilized (2.25-3.00) 21 19.81
Utilized (1.50-2.24) 39 36.79
Slightly (0.75-1.49) 38 35.85
Not Utilized (0.00-0.74) 8 7.55
Total 106 100.00
The Coping Strategy of Widows as Seeking Social Support
Seeking Social Support Weighted Verbal

Mean Interpretation
8. I talked to someone to find out more about the 1.63 Utilized
situation.
18. I accepted sympathy and understanding from 1.85 Utilized
someone.
22. I got professional help. 1.17 Slightly
31. I talked to someone who could do something 1.50 Utilized
concrete about the problem
42. I asked advice from a relative friend I respected. 1.74 Utilized
45. I talked to someone about how I was feeling 1.69 Utilized
Std. Deviation 0.54
Highly Utilized (2.25-3.00) 12 11.32
Utilized (1.50-2.24) 58 54.72
Slightly (0.75-1.49) 30 28.30
Not Utilized (0.00-0.74) 6 5.66
Total 106 100.00
The Coping Strategy of Widows as Accepting Responsibility
Accepting Responsibility Weighted Verbal

Mean Interpretation
9. I criticized or lectured myself. 1.55 Utilized
25. I apologized or did something to make up. 1.89 Utilized
29. I apologized or did something to make up. 1.58 Utilized
51. I promised myself that things would be different 1.92 Utilized
next time.
Std. Deviation 0.65
Highly Utilized (2.25-3.00) 29 27.36
Utilized (1.50-2.24) 47 44.34
Slightly (0.75-1.49) 26 24.53
Not Utilized (0.00-0.74) 4 3.77
Total 106 100.00
The Coping Strategy of Widows as Escape-Avoidance
Escape-Avoidance Weighted Verbal

Mean Interpretation
11. I hoped for a miracle. 1.64 Utilized
16. I slept more than usual. 1.46 Slightly
33. I tried to make myself feel better by eating, 1.23 Slightly
drinking, smoking, using drugs, or medications, etc.
40. I generally avoided being with people. 1.05 Slightly
47. I took it out on other people. 1.26 Slightly
50. I refused to believe that it had happened 1.55 Utilized
58. I wished that the situation would go away or 1.70 Utilized
somehow be over with.
59. I had fantasies or wishes about how things might 1.84 Utilized
turn out.
Category Mean 1.47 Slightly Utilized
Std. Deviation 0.55
Highly Utilized (2.25-3.00) 8 7.55
Utilized (1.50-2.24) 49 46.23
Slightly (0.75-1.49) 38 35.85
Not Utilized (0.00-0.74) 11 10.38
Total 106 100.00
The Coping Strategy of Widows as Planful Problem Solving
Planful Problem Solving Weighted Verbal

Mean Interpretation
1. I just concentrated on what I had to do next –the 2.09 Utilized
next step
26. I made a plan of action and followed it. 1.82 Utilized
39. I change something so things would turn out all 1.76 Utilized
right.
48. I drew on my past experience; I was in a similar 1.37 Slightly
situation before
49. I knew what had to be done, so I doubled my 1.71 Utilized
efforts to make things work.
52. I came up with a couple of different solutions to 1.76 Utilized
the problem.
Std. Deviation 0.52
Highly Utilized (2.25-3.00) 20 18.87
Utilized (1.50-2.24) 55 51.89
Slightly (0.75-1.49) 27 25.47
Not Utilized (0.00-0.74) 4 3.77
Total 106 100.00
The Coping Strategy of Widows as Positive Reappraisal
Positive Reappraisal Weighted Verbal

Mean Interpretation
20. I was inspired to do something creative about the 1.72 Utilized
problem.
23. I changed or grew as a person. 1.70 Utilized
30. I came out of the experience better than when I 1.58 Utilized
went in.
36. I found new Faith. 1.79 Utilized
38. I rediscovered what is important in life. 1.87 Utilized
56. I changed something about myself. 1.71 Utilized
60. I prayed 2.09 Utilized
Std. Deviation 0.59
Highly Utilized (2.25-3.00) 26 24.53
Utilized (1.50-2.24) 42 39.62
Slightly (0.75-1.49) 35 33.02
Not Utilized (0.00-0.74) 3 2.83
Total 106 100.00
Appendix F:
Pearson-r
Computations
Significant Correlation between Bereavement Status and Coping Strategies
Bereavement Coping Correlation p-value Decision Remarks

Status(IV) Strategies (DV) Coefficient (alpha)
Confrontive coping .186 .057 Accept Ho Significant
Distancing .070 .475 Accept Ho Significant
Self-controlling .106 .279 Accept Ho Significant
Relational Seeking Social .044 .651 Accept Ho Significant
Active Grief Support
Accepting .104 .288 Accept Ho Significant
Responsibility
Escape-Avoidance .195 .045 Reject Ho Significant,
Planful Problem .122 .211 Accept Ho Significant
Solving
Positive .117 .232 Accept Ho Significant
Reappraisal

Confrontive coping -.083 .398 Accept Ho Significant
Distancing -.011 .909 Accept Ho Significant
Self-controlling -.027 .786 Accept Ho Significant
Close and Seeking Social -.149 .127 Accept Ho Significant
Positive Support
Relationship Accepting -.154 .114 Accept Ho Significant
Responsibility
Escape-Avoidance .060 .539 Accept Ho Significant
Planful Problem -.054 .584 Accept Ho Significant
Solving
Positive Reappraisal -.032 .745 Accept Ho Significant

Confrontive coping .129 .186 Accept Ho Significant
Self-controlling .066 .504 Accept Ho Significant
Conflictual Seeking Social .041 .679 Accept Ho Significant
Relationship Support
with the Accepting .166 .090 Accept Ho Significant
Deceased Responsibility
Planful Problem .093 .345 Accept Ho Significant
Solving
Positive Reappraisal .114 .245 Accept Ho Significant

Biopsychosocial Seeking Social -.162 .098 Accept Ho Significant
Function Support
Accepting -.067 .498 Accept Ho Significant
Responsibility
Solving
Positive -.060 .544 Accept Ho Significant
Reappraisal

Perception of Seeking Social -.132 .179 Accept Ho Significant
Trauma Support
Accepting -.044 .655 Accept Ho Significant
Responsibility
Escape-Avoidance -.005 .958 Accept Ho Significant
Solving
Positive Reappraisal -.090 .360 Accept Ho Significant

Bereavement Status of Selected Widows and Their Coping Strategies

Caricato da

Informazioni sul documento

Titolo originale

Copyright

Formati disponibili

Condividi questo documento

Condividi o incorpora il documento

Opzioni di condivisione

Hai trovato utile questo documento?

Questo contenuto è inappropriato?

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

Bereavement Status of Selected Widows and Their Coping Strategies

Caricato da

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

An Undergraduate Thesis Presented to the

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the

This undergraduate thesis entitled “Bereavement Status of Selected Widows and

March 13, 2018 Prof. Remedios Basco

Approved in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of

Prof. Rodrigo DP. Tomas M.A., RGC

Prof. Faustino E. Oguan Jr. Prof. Russelle Ane A. Dela Cruz

Accepted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of

April 13, 2018 Dr. Susan E. Puyat

by patiently and honestly answers the questionnaires;

the improvement of our research paper;

forward in this study;

encouragement in the pursuant of this research;

research and for making all of this possible.

Coping Strategies”. It aimed to determine the relationship of coping mechanism and

bereavement status of selected Widows in Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasay, Quezon, and

through getting the whole population.

Bereavement Questionnaire. The Ways of Coping Questionnaire is 66-item

Bereavement Questionnaire; a 70-item self-report questionnaire was designed to assess

response to loss over time. Track 1 focused on the bereaved biopsychosocial

objective of descriptive survey is to collect information in a systematic way.

stress and ability of the widow to overcome the grief.

came up with the following recommendations. Widows must undergo in grief or

bereavement counselling which can be helpful to normally function as an individual

I. THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Statement of the Problem 8

Significance of the Study 11

Scopes and Delimitation of the Study 11

II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Widows in the Philippines 17

The Models of Bereavement 23

The Process of Recovering from Grief 26

Two-track model of Bereavement 28

Relational Active Grief 32

Close and Positive Relationship 33

Conflictual Relationship with the Deceased 34

The Concept of Coping 35

Coping to the Grief 39

II. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Method Used 44

Population Frame and Sampling Scheme 45

Data Gathering Procedure 48

Statistical Treatment of Data 49

Profile of the Selected Widows by Age 51

Profile of the Selected Widows by Educational Attainment 52

Respondent’s Profile According to Dependents 53

Respondent’s Profile According to Their Occupation 55

Respondents Profile According to Years Being Widowed 56

The Bereavement Status of Widows 57

The Coping Strategies of Widows 58

Correlation Between the Bereavement Status and Coping strategies 60

V. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND

Appendix A: Permission to Use the Ways of Coping Questionnaire

Appendix B: Public Domain of TTBQ

Appendix C: Survey Questionnaire

Appendix D: Tables of Bereavement Status by Factors

Appendix E: Table of Coping Strategies by Factors

Appendix F: Pearson-r Computations

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

“invisible” group of women. (Trivedi, 2009)

Widowhood presents a myriad of economic, social and psychological problems,