The results echo another study by Liu and colleagues that found a significant decline in self-reported health among the widowed from 1972 to 2003 in the United States.

In general, widowhood is associated with reduced economic resources and loss of social support, which may contribute to a higher mortality risk, the new study says.

But the stress and emotional trauma of losing a spouse as a confidant might be greater now than in the past as the average duration of marriage becomes longer with increasing life expectancy, the study notes. Further, men and women generally are losing their spouse later in life - another factor that may contribute to a more frail widowed population.

"The growing mortality gap between the married and the unmarried, especially the widowed, raises concerns," Liu said. "As a frail population in terms of health status and mortality, the widowed clearly warrant greater research and policy attention."

Source: Michigan State University