Past work has revealed benefits for both persons with diabetes (PWD) and their partners (e.g., spouses) when engaging in collaborative coping to manage a chronic illness, yet little is known about predictors of this type of dyadic coping. Based on conceptual frameworks on communal and dyadic coping, we sought to examine how illness factors, relationship factors, and interdependent personality traits predicted the frequency of collaborative coping among couples managing type 2 diabetes, and whether role (PWD vs. partner) moderated the associations. Cross-sectional survey data from 296 older adults (N = 148 different-sex couples) were analyzed. Multilevel models examined both linear and nonlinear associations between each factor and collaborative coping, controlling for race/ethnicity. Linear associations were found for positive relationship quality, and nonlinear associations were found for diagnostic length and relationship length. No significant associations emerged between interdependent personality traits and collaborative coping. Although PWD reported more frequent engagement in collaborative coping than partners, role only moderated the associations between diagnostic length and relationship length with collaborative coping. Findings contribute to an understanding of potential correlates of collaborative coping and may have implications for health promotion and interventions for older couples managing type 2 diabetes.
AduM. D.MalabuU. H.Malau-AduliA. E. O.Malau-AduliB. S. (2019). Enablers and barriers to effective diabetes self-management: A multi-national investigation. PLoS One, 14(6), Article e0217771. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217771
2.
AfifiT. D.BasingerE. D.KamJ. A. (2020). The extended theoretical model of communal coping: Understanding the properties and functionality of communal coping. Journal of Communication, 70(3), 424–446. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqaa006
AndersonJ. R.NovakJ. R.JohnsonM. D.DeitzS. L.WalkerA.WilcoxA.LewisV. L.RobbinsD. C. (2016). A dyadic multiple mediation model of patient and spouse stressors predicting patient dietary and exercise adherence via depression symptoms and diabetes self-efficacy. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 39(6), 1020–1032. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-016-9796-9
6.
AugustK. J.FranksM. M.RookK. S.StephensM. A. P. (2020). Spouses’ responses to the dietary nonadherence of their partners managing diabetes. Personal Relationships, 27(2), 401–419. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12320
7.
AugustK. J.KellyC. S.AbbamonteJ. M. (2014). Psychosocial factors associated with diabetes self-management. In WatsonR. R.DokkenB. (Eds.), Glucose intake and utilization in pre-diabetes and diabetes: Implications of cardiovascular disease (pp. 45–52). Elsevier.
8.
AugustK. J.KellyC. S.MarkeyC. H. (2020). Reciprocity and personality in diet- related spousal involvement among older couples managing diabetes: The role of gender. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 38(1), 363–383. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407520962850
9.
AugustK. J.RookK. S.FranksM. M.Parris StephensM. A. (2013). Spouses' involvement in their partners' diabetes management: Associations with spouse stress and perceived marital quality. Journal of Family Psychology, 27(5), 712–721. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034181
BergC. A.HelgesonV. S.TracyE. L.ButnerJ. E.KellyC. S.Van VleetM.LitchmanM. L. (2020). Daily illness appraisal and collaboration in couples with type 1 diabetes. Health Psychology, 39(8), 689–699. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000871
12.
BergC. A.JohnsonM. M. S.MeeganS. P.StroughJ. (2003). Collaborative problem- solving interactions in young and old married couples. Discourse Processes, 35(1), 33–58. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326950DP3501_2
13.
BergC. A.UpchurchR. (2007). A developmental-contextual model of couples coping with chronic illness across the adult life span. Psychological Bulletin, 133(6), 920–954. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.6.920
14.
BergC. A.WiebeD. J.ButnerJ.BloorL.BradstreetC.UpchurchR.HayesJ.StephensonR.NailL.PattonG. (2008). Collaborative coping and daily mood in couples dealing with prostate cancer. Psychology and Aging, 23(3), 505–516. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012687
15.
BlitonC. F.JohnsonB. N.PincusA. L. (2022). My problem or yours? Interpersonal problems and marital quality. Journal of Personality, 90, 595–614. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12685
16.
BodenmannG. (1997). Dyadic coping: A systemic-transactional view of stress and coping among couples: Theory and empirical findings: Coping. Revue Europeenne de Psychologie Appliquee, 47(2), 137–141.
BodenmannG.RandallA. K.FalconierM. K. (2016). Coping in couples: The systemic transactional model (STM). In Couples coping with stress (1st ed., pp. 5–22). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315644394-2
19.
BouchardG.SabourinS.LussierY.WrightJ.RicherC. (1998). Predictive validity of coping strategies on marital satisfaction: Cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence. Journal of Family Psychology, 12(1), 112–131. https://doi.org/10.1037//0893-3200.12.1.112
20.
BrooksK. P.GruenewaldT.KarlamanglaA.HuP.KoretzB.SeemanT. E. (2014). Social relationships and allostatic load in the MIDUS study. Health Psychology, 33(11), 1373–1381. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034528
21.
BrownS. L.LinI. F. (2012). The gray divorce revolution: Rising divorce among middle-aged older adults, 1990-2010. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 67(6), 731–741. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbs089
ChenY.PengY.XuH.O'BrienW. H. (2018). Age differences in stress and coping: Problem-focused strategies mediate the relationship between age and positive affect. International Journal of Aging & Human Development, 86(4), 347–363. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091415017720890
FalconierM. K.KuhnR. (2019). Dyadic coping in couples: A conceptual integration and a review of the empirical literature. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 571. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00571
28.
FalconierM. K.NussbeckF.BodenmannG. (2013a). Dyadic coping in Latino couples: Validity of the Spanish version of the dyadic coping inventory. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 26(4), 447–466. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2012.699045
29.
FalconierM. K.NussbeckF.BodenmannG. (2013b). Immigration stress and relationship satisfaction in Latino couples: The role of dyadic coping. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 32(8), 813–843. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2013.32.8.813
30.
FeldmanB. N.BroussardC. A. (2006). Men’s adjustment to their partners’ breast cancer: A dyadic coping perspective. Health & Social Work, 31(2), 117–127. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/31.2.117
31.
FisherL.CheslaC. A.SkaffM. M.MullanJ. T.KanterR. A. (2002). Depression and anxiety among partners of European-American and Latino patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 25(9), 1564–1570. https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.25.9.1564
32.
FisherL.GudmundsdottirM.GillissC.SkaffM.MullanJ.KanterR.CheslaC. (2000). Resolving disease management problems in European-American and Latino couples with type 2 diabetes: The effects of ethnicity and patient gender. Family Process, 39(4), 403–416. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.2000.39402.x
33.
GirmeY. U. (2020). Step out of line: Modeling nonlinear effects and dynamics in close- relationships research. Current Directions in Psychological Science: A journal of the American Psychological Society, 29(4), 351–357. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721420920598
34.
GonzalezR. (2003). A statistical framework for modeling homogeneity and interdependence in groups. In FletcherG. J. O.ClarkM. S. (Eds.), Blackwell handbook of social psychology: Interpersonal processes (pp. 505–534): Blackwell Publishing.
35.
GurtmanM. B. (2011). Circular reasoning about circular assessment. In HorowitzL. M.StackS. (Eds.) Handbook of interpersonal psychology: Theory, research, assessment, and therapeutic interventions (pp. 299–311). Wiley.
36.
HelgesonV. S.AllenN. A.TracyE. L.ButnerJ.BergC. A. (2022). Diabetes stress contagion among romantic partners: A daily diary investigation. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 45(5), 716–727. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-022-00337-y
37.
HelgesonV. S.JakubiakB.SeltmanH.HausmannL.KorytkowskiM. (2017). Implicit and explicit communal coping in couples with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 34(7), 1099–1121. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407516669604
38.
HelgesonV. S.JakubiakB.Van VleetM.ZajdelM. (2018). Communal coping and adjustment to chronic illness: Theory update and evidence. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 22(2), 170–195. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868317735767
39.
HelgesonV. S.NaqviJ. B.SeltmanH.VaughnA. K.KorytkowskiM.HausmannL. R. M.Gary-WebbT. L. (2020). Links of communal coping to relationship and psychological health in type 2 diabetes: Actor–partner interdependence models involving role, sex, and race. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 54(5), 346–359. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaz052
40.
HelgesonV. S.NaqviJ. B.ZajdelM.HornerF. (2021). Communal coping manifested in daily life: A focus on gender. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 39(4), 1023–1042. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075211052633
41.
HemphillR. C. (2013). Disease-related collaboration and adjustment among couples coping with type 2 diabetes(Publication No. 3618885) [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
42.
HurtadoM. D.TopaG. (2019). Quality of life and health: Influence of preparation for retirement behaviors through the serial mediation of losses and gains. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(9), 1539. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16091539
43.
IidaM.StephensM. A. P.FranksM. M.RookK. S. (2013). Daily symptoms, distress and interaction quality among couples coping with type 2 diabetes. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 30(3), 293–300. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407512455308
44.
JacksonJ. B.MillerR. B.OkaM.HenryR. G. (2014). Gender differences in marital satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Journal of Marriage and Family, 76(1), 105–129. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12077
45.
KennyD.KashyD.CookW. (2006). Dyadic data analysis. Guilford Press.
46.
LearyT. (1957). Interpersonal diagnosis of personality. Ronald Press.
47.
LiC.BarkerL.FordE. S.ZhangX.StrineT. W.MokdadA. H. (2008). Diabetes and anxiety in US adults: Findings from the 2006 behavioral risk factor Surveillance System. Diabetic Medicine, 25(7), 878–881. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-5491.2008.02477.x
LyonsR. F.MickelsonK. D.SullivanM. J.CoyneJ. C. (1998). Coping as a communal process. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15(5), 579–605. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407598155001
50.
MarkeyP.MarkeyC.NaveC.AugustK. (2014). Interpersonal problems and relationship quality: An examination of gay and lesbian romantic couples. Journal of Research in Personality, 51, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2014.04.001
51.
MeuwlyN.FeinsteinB. A.DavilaJ.NuñezD. G.BodenmannG. (2013). Relationship quality among Swiss women in opposite-sex versus same-sex romantic relationships. Swiss Journal of Psychology, 72(4), 229–233. https://doi.org/10.1024/1421-0185/a000115
52.
MisraR.LagerJ. (2008). Predictors of quality of life among adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Journal of Diabetes and its Complications, 22(3), 217–223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2006.09.002
53.
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2022). Diabetes symptoms. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/symptoms.html
54.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2022). Home. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/
NortonR. (1983). Measuring marital quality: A critical look at the dependent variable. Journal of Marriage and Family, 45(1), 141–151. https://doi.org/10.2307/351302
57.
NovakJ. R.AndersonJ. R.JohnsonM. D.HardyN. R.WalkerA.WilcoxA.LewisV. L.RobbinsD. C. (2017). Does personality matter in diabetes adherence? Exploring the pathways between neurotcism and patient adherence in couples with type 2 diabetes. Applied Personality: Health and Well-Being, 9(2), 207–227. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12807
58.
OrbuchT. L.HouseJ. S.MeroR. P.WebsterP. S. (1996). Marital quality over the life course. Social Psychology Quarterly, 59(2), 162–171. https://doi.org/10.2307/2787050
59.
PerrinN. E.DaviesM. J.RobertsonN.SnoekF. J.KhuntiK. (2017). The prevalence of diabetes-specific emotional distress in people with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetic Medicine: A journal of the British Diabetic Association, 34(11), 1508–1520. https://doi.org/10.1111/dme.13448
60.
PersellS. D.KeatingN. L.LandrumM. B.LandonB. E.AyanianJ. Z.BorbasC.GuadagnoliE. (2004). Relationship of diabetes-specific knowledge to self-management activities, ambulatory preventive care, and metabolic outcomes. Preventive Medicine, 39(4), 746–752. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2004.02.045
61.
PolonskyW. H.FisherL.EarlesJ.DudlR. J.LeesJ.MullanJ.JacksonR. A. (2005). Assessing psychosocial distress in diabetes: Development of the diabetes distress scale. Diabetes Care, 28(3), 626–631. https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.28.3.626
RohrbaughM. J. (2021). Constructing we-ness: A communal coping intervention for couples facing chronic illness. Family Process, 60(1), 17–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12595
64.
SmithK. J.BélandM.ClydeM.GariépyG.PagéV.BadawiG.Rabasa-LhoretR.SchmitzN. (2012). Association of diabetes with anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 74(2), 89–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2012.11.013
65.
SmithT. W.UchinoB. N.BergC. A.FlorsheimP.PearceG.HawkinsM.HenryN. J. M.BeveridgeR. M.SkinnerM. A.KoK. J.Olsen-CernyC. (2009). Conflict and collaboration in middle-aged and older couples: II. Cardiovascular reactivity during marital interaction. Psychology and Aging, 24(2), 274–286. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016067
66.
SoldzS.BudmanS.DembyA.MerryJ. (1995). A short form of the inventory of interpersonal problems circumples scales. Assessment, 2(1), 53–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191195002001006
67.
StaffH. R.DidymusF. F.BackhouseS. H. (2017). The antecedents and outcomes of dyadic coping in close personal relationships: A systematic review and narrative synthesis. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 30(5), 498–520. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2017.1329931
68.
SterbaK. R.DeVellisR. F.LewisM. A.DeVellisB. M.JordanJ. M.BaucomD. H. (2008). Effect of couple illness perception congruence on psychological adjustment in women with rheumatoid arthritis. Health Psychology, 27(2), 221–229. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.27.2.221
69.
TallmanI.HsiaoY. L. (2004). Resources, cooperation, and problem solving in early marriage. Social Psychology Quarterly, 67(2), 172–188. https://doi.org/10.1177/019027250406700204
UmbersonD.KroegerR. A. (2015). Gender, marriage, and health for same-sex and different-sex couples: The future keeps arriving. In Gender and couple relationships (pp. 189–213). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21635-5_12
72.
UmbersonD.ThomeerM. B.ReczekC.DonnellyR. (2016). Physical illness in gay, lesbian, and heterosexual marriages: Gendered dyadic experiences. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 57(4), 517–531. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022146516671570
73.
Van VleetM.HelgesonV. S.SeltmanH. J.KorytkowskiM. T.HausmannL. (2019). An examination of the communal coping process in recently diagnosed diabetes. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36(4), 1297–1316. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407518761226
74.
Van VleetM.HelgesonV. S.SeltmanH. J.KorytkowskiM. T.HausmannL. R. M. (2018). Communally coping with diabetes: An observational investigation using the actor-partner interdependence model. Journal of Family Psychology, 32(5), 654–663. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000414
75.
WalkerR. J.Strom WilliamsJ.EgedeL. E. (2016). Influence of race, ethnicity and social determinants of health on diabetes outcomes. The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 351(4), 366–373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjms.2016.01.008
76.
WangY.UmbersonD. (2023). Dyadic coping and marital quality in same-sex and different- sex marriages. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 40(3), 996–1017. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075221123096
77.
WigginsJ. S. (1995). Interpersonal adjective scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
78.
ZajdelM.HelgesonV. S. (2022). A communal coping intervention for couples managing chronic illness. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice. Publish Ahead of Print. https://doi.org/10.1037/cfp0000234
79.
ZajdelM.HelgesonV. S.SeltmanH. J.KorytkowskiM. T.HausmannL. R. M. (2018). Daily communal coping in couples with type 2 diabetes: Links to mood and self-care. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 52(3), 228–238. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kax047
80.
ZajdelM.NaqviJ. B.NiezinkN. M.HelgesonV. S. (2022). Links of daily shared appraisal and collaboration to support, mood, and self-care in type 2 diabetes. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 40(6), Article 02654075221135873. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407522113587
81.
ZhangZ.HsiehN.LaiW.-H. (2023). Social relationships in later life: Does marital status matter?Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 40(9), 2946–2968. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075231163112
82.
ZoungasS.WoodwardM.LiQ.CooperM. E.HametP.HarrapS.HellerS.MarreM.PatelA.PoulterN.WilliamsB.ChalmersJ.ADVANCE Collaborat, & ive group. (2014). Impact of age, age at diagnosis and duration of diabetes on the risk of macrovascular and microvascular complications and death in type 2 diabetes. Diabetologia, 57(12), 2465–2474. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-014-3369-7
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
