Center for Healthy Aging, Pennsylvania State University.
J Fam Psychol. 2018 Apr;32(3):412-418. doi: 10.1037/fam0000390.
This study examined two types of illness-related communication (disclosure and holding back) and their associations with psychological adjustment and marital satisfaction in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and their spouses. A sample of 142 couples reported on disclosure and holding back of OA-related concerns, marital satisfaction, and depressive symptoms at two time points across 1 year. Results from dyadic analyses indicated that holding back was associated with decreases in one's own marital satisfaction for patients and spouses and increases in one's own depressive symptoms for spouses over 1 year. In addition, increases in disclosure were associated with increases in marital satisfaction for patients and spouses over time. Holding back and disclosure did not have significant interpersonal effects on the partner's psychological adjustment or marital satisfaction. These results provide support for the hypothesized intrapersonal effects of disclosure and holding back on marital satisfaction and psychological adjustment over time for both OA patients and their spouses, and highlight the importance of open communication for dyadic coping among couples dealing with chronic illness. (PsycINFO Database Record
本研究考察了两种与疾病相关的沟通方式（表达和隐瞒）及其与膝骨关节炎（OA）患者及其配偶的心理调整和婚姻满意度的关系。在一年的两个时间点上，142 对夫妇报告了与 OA 相关的担忧、婚姻满意度和抑郁症状的表达和隐瞒情况。来自对偶分析的结果表明，在一年的时间里，患者和配偶隐瞒 OA 相关问题会导致自身婚姻满意度下降，配偶的抑郁症状增加。此外，随着时间的推移，患者和配偶表达的增加与婚姻满意度的增加有关。隐瞒和表达对伴侣的心理调整或婚姻满意度没有显著的人际影响。这些结果为假设的表达和隐瞒对 OA 患者及其配偶的婚姻满意度和心理调整的内在影响提供了支持，同时也强调了在处理慢性疾病的夫妇中进行开放沟通对对偶应对的重要性。
