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Studies

Bankoff (1981): study US 1979

Publication

Author(s):
Bankoff, E.A.
Title:
Effects of Friendship Support on the Psychological Well-Being of Widows.
Source:
Research in the Interweave of Social Roles. Friendship, 1981, Vol. 2, 109 - 139

Investigation

Public
Widowed women in grief, USA, 198?
Survey name
Unnamed study
Sample
Non-probability purposive-quota sample
Respondents
N = 447
Non Response
50%
Assessment
Questionnaire: Paper & Pencil Interview (PAPI)
Mailed questionnaire

Happiness Measure(s) and Distributional Findings

Full text:
Self report on 9 questions:

We are interested in the way people are feeling these days. The following list describes some of the ways people feel at different times. Please indicate how often you felt each way during the last week.

How often last week did you feel .....?
A  On the top of the world
B  Very lonely or remote from other people
C  Particularly excited or interested in something
D  Depressed or very unhappy
E   Pleased about having accomplished something
F   Bored
G  Proud because someone complimented you on something  
     you had done
H  So restless you couldn't sit long in a chair
I    Vaguely uneasy about something without knowing why

Answer options:
0  not at all
1  once
2  several times
3  often

Summation:
Positive Affect Score (PAS): summed scores on A, C, E, G
Negative Affect Score (NAS): summed scores on B, D, F, H, I
Affect Balance Score (ABS):  PAS minus NAS

Possible range:  -15 tot +12

Name: Bradburn's `Affect Balance Scale' (modified version)
Classification:
A-BB-cw-mq-v-4-e
Author's label:
Overall psychological well-being

Correlational Findings

Author's label Subject Description Finding Type of friendship support Kind of social support received Sources of friendship support Sources of current support Stage of mourning process Coping with divorce/widowhood
Current greef
Stage in mourning proces