Fakultät für Gesundheitswissenschaften

Abstract zu "Mortality after losing a same-sex partner: The Widowhood Effect and Sexual Orientation" (Estelle Knoblauch - 23.01.2025)

Losing a martial partner to death is considered to be a stressful life event with adverse health effects, including an excess risk of premature mortality. Previous research has focused on examining the widowhood effect within partnerships conforming to heteronormative expectations. Despite the increasing number of non-heteronormative partnerships, the gender composition within a partnership has not been considered when investigating the widowhood effect.

Using Danish Register Data from 1989 to 2022, this study examines the differences in mortality risk following the loss of a partner of individuals who were in a same-gender relationship compared to those who were in a mixed-gender relationship. Preliminary results point towards an elevated mortality risk following the loss of a marital partner. Within the first 3 years after the experience of widowhood, people who lost a same-gender partner appear to have an even higher risk of dying than those who lost a partner of a different gender.

The results suggest that the health consequences of widowhood may be more profound for individuals who were in a same-gender institutionalized partnership. Given their minority status in society, people in same-gender marriages may experience additional minority stressors after widowhood, which may further affect their health.