title: Are spouses of chronically ill partners burdened by exerting health-related social control?
abstract: Spouses often seek to influence the health behaviors of chronically ill partners, but little research has examined whether spouses find such involvement to be burdensome. The current study examined this question in a sample of 191 nondiabetic spouses whose partners had type 2 diabetes. Results revealed that spouses who attempted to exert more control over their partners' dietary behavior experienced greater burden, particularly when their partners exhibited poor dietary adherence and reacted negatively to spouses' involvement. The findings contribute to a sparse body of knowledge on how spouses are affected by efforts to influence their chronically ill partners' disease management.
authors: UCI Health Policy Research Institute, University of California-Irvine, CA 92617, USA. kaugust@uci.edu
authors: Kristin J
authors: KJ
authors: August
authors: Karen S
authors: KS
authors: Rook
authors: Mary Ann Parris
authors: MA
authors: Stephens
authors: Melissa M
authors: MM
authors: Franks
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000178:diet therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011209:Power, Psychological; D012648:Self Care; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States