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Annals of Behavioral Medicine : a... Oct 2022Depression and marital discord are characteristic not only of individuals with chronic low back pain (ICPs) but also of their spouses.
BACKGROUND
Depression and marital discord are characteristic not only of individuals with chronic low back pain (ICPs) but also of their spouses.
PURPOSE
We examined actor-partner interdependence models to evaluate associations among depressed affect and criticism and support of partners at the same time point (concurrent effects) and 3 hr later (lagged effects). Fully dyadic models were used to account for both within-person and cross-spouse associations among depressed affect, criticism, and support for ICPs and spouses. We also examined the direction of the relationships (depressed affect predicting behavior and behavior predicting depressed affect) all while controlling for pain intensity, pain behavior, and the prior dependent variable.
METHODS
ICPs (n = 105) and their spouses completed electronic diary measures of depressed affect and behavior (criticism and support) five times a day for 2 weeks. Hierarchical linear modeling with person-mean centering was used for data analysis.
RESULTS
Within the same 3 hr epoch, more depressed affect was related to higher criticism and generally less support. Lagged analyses suggested bidirectional relationships between spouse's own depressed affect and spouse's own criticism of ICPs. Spouse depressed affect was also associated with decreased support received from ICPs. Pain behavior and pain intensity were also related to depressed affect, criticism, and support especially concurrently.
CONCLUSIONS
Theories and interventions need to address not only ICP depressed affect but also spouse depressed affect, as spouse depressed affect may be a stress generating precursor to criticism and support.
Topics: Depression; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Low Back Pain; Pain Measurement; Spouses
PubMed: 34849529
DOI: 10.1093/abm/kaab100 -
Oncology Nursing Forum Sep 2018I try to touch base with the clinic nurses each day before patients and physicians (in that order) start arriving and the usual busyness of the day takes over. A recent...
I try to touch base with the clinic nurses each day before patients and physicians (in that order) start arriving and the usual busyness of the day takes over. A recent early morning conversation centered on one nurse's frustration with the spouse of a man who had been treated in another city and who was now under the care of a physician at our clinic. The woman had been calling the nurse repeatedly since her husband had returned home after the procedure. He was having complications, and she wanted something to be done about this immediately. The nurse was receiving text and email messages from the physician, who was also being contacted by the man's spouse, and his frustration was doubling up the effect on the nurse. The physician had agreed to provide follow-up care for this man and, frankly, I was somewhat surprised at the fuss this was creating.
Topics: Adult; Aftercare; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; Oncology Nursing; Patient Satisfaction; Quality of Health Care; Quality of Life; Spouses
PubMed: 30118449
DOI: 10.1188/18.ONF.563-564 -
Psychology & Health Mar 2019The aim of this study was to examine whether illness representations of control and consequences mediate the relation of cardiac patients' affect to well-being. A...
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to examine whether illness representations of control and consequences mediate the relation of cardiac patients' affect to well-being. A further aim was to examine this indirect relationship at a dyadic level (i.e. patient and spouse).
DESIGN AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
One hundred and four patients with a cardiovascular disease and their spouses participated in the study. Positive and negative affect was assessed at baseline; illness representations were assessed 2 months later, and physical and psychological well-being 4 months later.
RESULTS
Illness representations generally mediated the impact of patients' and spouses' affect on well-being, while several actor and partner effects were found. However, it was only positive affect that was indirectly related to well-being, while the representations of personal and treatment control chiefly acted as mediators. The effects were stronger for patients than spouses, as well as for physical well-being.
CONCLUSION
The results underline the strong connection between illness-related self-regulation and the overall person/environment interaction as depicted by affect. They also indicate the need to integrate theories on adaptation to illness, with models describing adaptation of couples to stressful conditions, and specific theories about the role of emotion in adaptation to illness.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Adult; Affect; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Attitude to Health; Cardiovascular Diseases; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Patients; Prospective Studies; Spouses
PubMed: 30588842
DOI: 10.1080/08870446.2018.1525490 -
Journal of Affective Disorders Jun 2024Although several previous studies have reported on the relationship between vision impairment and caregiver mental health, mixed results were obtained, and only one...
BACKGROUND
Although several previous studies have reported on the relationship between vision impairment and caregiver mental health, mixed results were obtained, and only one study reported the association between spousal vision impairment and partner depression. Therefore, our study aimed to examine the association between spousal vision impairment and the partner's depressive symptoms and cognitive decline.
METHODS
This cross-sectional study gathered baseline data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2011. A total of 10,956 couples were included in the study. Vision impairment was assessed by respondents' self-reported distance or near vision. Multivariate logistic and linear regression were conducted to evaluate the association between the spouse's vision impairment and the partner's depressive symptoms and cognitive function.
RESULTS
The prevalence of partners with depressive symptoms was significantly higher among spouses with vision impairment than among those without (43.3 % vs. 32.5 %; P < 0.001), and cognitive function was significantly lower (spousal vision impairment 14.4 ± 4.5 vs. no spousal vision impairment 15.5 ± 4.6; P < 0.001). After fully adjusting for potential confounders, the partner had greater odds of depressive symptoms for spouses with vision impairment than for those without (odds ratio: 1.525; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.387 to 1.677). Furthermore, spousal vision impairment was negatively associated with the partner's cognitive function (β = -0.640; 95 % CI: -0.840 to -0.440). Sensitivity analysis was performed, and consistent results were obtained (all P < 0.05).
LIMITATIONS
Visual function was assessed by self-reporting.
CONCLUSIONS
A spouse's vision impairment is associated with depressive symptoms and cognitive decline in the partner. The findings imply the importance of considering the partner's mental health when managing their spouse's vision impairment.
Topics: Humans; Spouses; Depression; Longitudinal Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cognitive Dysfunction; China
PubMed: 38531494
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.03.097 -
Alzheimer Disease and Associated...Dyadic enrollment of a participant and study partner is required in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) clinical trials, despite participants being functionally independent....
BACKGROUND
Dyadic enrollment of a participant and study partner is required in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) clinical trials, despite participants being functionally independent. Research examining how the study partner requirement impacts MCI trials remains limited.
METHODS
Using the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study donepezil and vitamin E MCI trial data, we quantified the proportions of enrolled spouse, adult child, and other dyads. We used multinomial regression to identify which baseline participant characteristics (age, sex, race and ethnicity, apolipoprotein E ε4 status, education, residence type) were associated with dyad type.
RESULTS
Among 769 randomized dyads, 73% were spousal, 14% adult child, and 13% other dyads. Adjusting for multiple comparisons, underrepresented racial and ethnic background (eg, comparing Hispanic to non-Hispanic White participants: adult child vs. spouse odds ratio = 5.86; 95% confidence interval: 2.09, 16.5; other vs. spouse odds ratio = 4.95; 95% confidence interval: 1.83, 13.4), female sex, age, nonhouse residence, and apolipoprotein E ε4 noncarriage were each associated with a higher odds of having an adult child, as well as an other, study partner at enrollment.
DISCUSSION
Increasing participation among nonspousal dyads may facilitate more inclusive and representative MCI trial samples.
Topics: Adult Children; Alzheimer Disease; Apolipoprotein E4; Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic; Cognitive Dysfunction; Donepezil; Female; Humans; Male; Patient Participation; Spouses
PubMed: 35482891
DOI: 10.1097/WAD.0000000000000506 -
Journal of Speech, Language, and... Aug 2016Individuals with hearing loss engage in auditory training to improve their speech recognition. They typically practice listening to utterances spoken by unfamiliar...
PURPOSE
Individuals with hearing loss engage in auditory training to improve their speech recognition. They typically practice listening to utterances spoken by unfamiliar talkers but never to utterances spoken by their most frequent communication partner (FCP)-speech they most likely desire to recognize-under the assumption that familiarity with the FCP's speech limits potential gains. This study determined whether auditory training with the speech of an individual's FCP, in this case their spouse, would lead to enhanced recognition of their spouse's speech.
METHOD
Ten couples completed a 6-week computerized auditory training program in which the spouse recorded the stimuli and the participant (partner with hearing loss) completed auditory training that presented recordings of their spouse.
RESULTS
Training led participants to better discriminate their FCP's speech. Responses on the Client Oriented Scale of Improvement (Dillon, James, & Ginis, 1997) indicated subjectively that training reduced participants' communication difficulties. Peformance on a word identification task did not change.
CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest that auditory training might improve the ability of older participants with hearing loss to recognize the speech of their spouse and might improve communication interactions between couples. The results support a task-appropriate processing framework of learning, which assumes that human learning depends on the degree of similarity between training tasks and desired outcomes.
Topics: Aged; Communication; Discrimination, Psychological; Female; Hearing Loss; Humans; Male; Spouses; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 27567016
DOI: 10.1044/2016_JSLHR-H-15-0171 -
Anxiety, Stress, and Coping Sep 2022Transitioning from military to civilian life can be challenging for families, but most research focuses only on the service member. We applied a life course model to...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Transitioning from military to civilian life can be challenging for families, but most research focuses only on the service member. We applied a life course model to assess spouse well-being following this important transition.
DESIGN
Prospective, longitudinal survey of service members and their spouses.
METHODS
We captured three spouse well-being domains: psychological health, physical health, and family relationships. We identified differences between families who separated from service and those still affiliated ( = 4,087) and assessed baseline factors associated with spouse well-being after the family separated from service ( = 1,199).
RESULTS
Spouses of service members who had separated from the military (versus those who had not) reported poorer mental health and family relationship quality at baseline and follow-up. After controlling for baseline differences, spouses whose families transitioned experienced a greater increase in PTSD symptoms and a steeper decline in quality of marriage. Spouses of active-duty service members reported greater increases in work-family conflict. Among families who had transitioned, the most consistent predictor of positive outcomes was baseline well-being. Protective factors included having more psychological and social resources and less financial stress.
CONCLUSIONS
Several protective and risk factors identified in the study may inform programming for families transitioning from active duty.
Topics: Humans; Marriage; Mental Health; Military Personnel; Prospective Studies; Spouses
PubMed: 35316104
DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2022.2038788 -
General Hospital Psychiatry 2023This study applies the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) to explore the associations between disclosure and concealment with depression and anxiety among...
OBJECTIVE
This study applies the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) to explore the associations between disclosure and concealment with depression and anxiety among patients with cancer and their partners.
METHOD
90 patient-spouse dyads completed the Self-Disclosure Index (SDI), the Self-Concealment Scale (SCS), the Couples Illness Self-Concealment (CISC) questionnaire, and anxiety and depression via the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).
RESULTS
Significant actor effects were found for most variables, showing disclosure is negatively and concealment is positively associated with depression and anxiety (β between |0.29| to |0.65|, p ≤ .029). Partner's effect showed a negative association between patients' self-disclosure and their spouses' depression (β = -0.35, p = .043). Patients' anxiety was negatively associated with similarity in all communication variables (β between -0.21 to -0.22, p = .042).
CONCLUSIONS
Dyadic communication is an important correlate of distress among couples coping with cancer. Specifically, concealment behaviors have a positive association with distress, whereas disclosure is related to lower levels of anxiety and depression among both partners. In addition, whereas patients are affected more strongly than their spouses by the dyadic similarity, spouses seem to be more attuned to their partners' behaviors and therefore potentially more related to patients' propensity for sharing.
Topics: Humans; Disclosure; Adaptation, Psychological; Neoplasms; Spouses; Communication; Psychological Distress; Interpersonal Relations
PubMed: 37540941
DOI: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2023.07.005 -
Health Psychology : Official Journal of... Oct 2016This study of adults with osteoarthritis and their spouses examined spouse responses to patients' pain as mediators of the associations between spouse confidence in...
OBJECTIVE
This study of adults with osteoarthritis and their spouses examined spouse responses to patients' pain as mediators of the associations between spouse confidence in patients' ability to manage arthritis and improvements in patients' physical function and activity levels over time.
METHOD
Participants were 152 older adults with knee osteoarthritis and their spouses. In-person interviews were conducted with patients and spouses (separately) at 3 time points: baseline (Time[T] 1), 6 months after baseline (T2), and 18 months after baseline (T3). At each time point, patients reported their self-efficacy for arthritis management, functional limitations, and time spent in physical activity; spouses reported their confidence for patients' arthritis management and their empathic, solicitous, and punishing responses to patients' pain. Multiple mediation regression models were used to examine hypothesized associations across 2 distinct time frames: 6 months (T1-T2) and 12 months (T2-T3).
RESULTS
Across 6 months, spouse confidence was indirectly related to improvements in patients' functional limitations and activity levels through increased empathic responses to patient pain. Across 12 months, spouse confidence was indirectly related to improvements in patients' functional limitations and activity levels through decreased solicitous responses to patient pain.
CONCLUSIONS
This study adds to the literature on spousal influences on health by identifying 2 spouse behaviors that help to explain how spouse confidence for patients' illness management translates into improvements in patients' physical health over time. Findings can inform the development of couple-focused illness management interventions aiming to increase the positive influence of the spouse on patients' health behaviors and outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record
Topics: Adult; Aged; Empathy; Family Characteristics; Female; Health Behavior; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Male; Middle Aged; Osteoarthritis, Knee; Pain; Pain Measurement; Qualitative Research; Self Care; Self Efficacy; Spouses
PubMed: 27294596
DOI: 10.1037/hea0000383 -
The Gerontologist Nov 2022Interest in reminiscence activities for older adults has grown in recent years, but the benefits of co-reminiscence are not well-known. Drawing from a narrative identity...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Interest in reminiscence activities for older adults has grown in recent years, but the benefits of co-reminiscence are not well-known. Drawing from a narrative identity framework, this study examined older adult spouses' co-reminiscence about their first encounters. We hypothesized that perceived closeness and support increase when spouses co-reminisce and that greater perceptions of closeness and support after reminiscing relate to lower depressive symptoms and greater marital satisfaction in daily life.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
One hundred and one couples completed questionnaires measuring marital satisfaction and depressive symptoms at home and then participated in a laboratory session in which they co-reminisced about their first encounters. Self-reported perceived support and relationship closeness were obtained before and after reminiscence. t Tests and the Actor Partner Interdependence Model were used to examine hypotheses.
RESULTS
As hypothesized, closeness and perceived support increased from pre- to postreminiscence for husbands and wives. In addition, one's own relationship closeness after reminiscence was positively associated with own marital satisfaction (actor effect). One's perceived support after reminiscence was positively related to spouse's marital satisfaction and negatively associated with their spouse's depressive symptoms (partner effects).
DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS
Findings suggest that co-reminiscence about early relationship development can boost feelings of closeness and support for older adults. Benefiting from co-reminiscence in this way also appears to indicate broader relationship and individual well-being. Brief co-reminiscence activities may nurture late-life relational well-being.
Topics: Humans; Aged; Spouses; Personal Satisfaction; Marriage; Emotions; Narration
PubMed: 35429275
DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnac053