TABLE 2—
Effect of Unexpected Bereavement on Mortality in the First Year After Bereavement: United Kingdom, 2005–2010
| Variable | Bereavements, No.(%) | Deaths Within 1 Year of Bereavement, No. (%) | Adjusted Effect,a HR (95% CI) | P |
| Bereaved men only | 9132 (100) | .005b | ||
| Unexpected bereavement | 1431 (15.7) | 107 (7.5) | 1.63 (1.34, 1.97) | |
| Known morbidity in deceased | 7701 (84.3) | 412 (5.4) | 1.19 (1.08, 1.31) | |
| Bereaved women only | 17 514 (100) | .024b | ||
| Unexpected bereavement | 2144 (12.2) | 72 (3.4) | 1.62 (1.29, 2.03) | |
| Known morbidity in deceased | 15 370 (87.8) | 480 (3.1) | 1.22 (1.11, 1.34) | |
| All bereavements | 26 646 (100) | .001b | ||
| Unexpected bereavement | 3575 (13.4) | 179 (5.0) | 1.61 (1.39, 1.86) | |
| Known morbidity in deceased | 23 071 (86.6) | 892 (3.9) | 1.21 (1.14, 1.30) |
Note. CI = confidence interval; HR = hazard ratio. The sample size was n = 171 720 couples.
a
Model adjusted for following personal factors: age, region, smoking, household composition, Townsend Index, Charlson Index (time dependent), and winter compared with mortality in nonbereaved couples.
b
Test for heterogeneity.