Losing a spouse is one of the most stressful events a person can experience.
But most older adults bounce back to earlier levels of physical and
psychological health within 18 months of their loss, according to research on
bereavement from the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.

Some surprising and comforting findings:

• Sudden death of a spouse may not be more difficult for the survivor. For
  older men, especially, the sudden death of their wives was easier to handle
  psychologically than a lingering illness. Sudden death was more emotionally
  distressing to women than to men. And women who were highly dependent on their
  husbands for male-stereotyped tasks such as financial management and home
  repairs were at higher risk for anxiety.
• The closer the marital relationship, the more depressed the surviving spouse
  is likely to be.
• Women turn to friends for support during widowhood. Men may withdraw from
  others. Men who knew their spouse was going to die, and the process was longer
  than 6 months, were at risk for having heart problems 6 months after their
  spouse’s death, but rebounded by 18 months after their loss.