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Spouse Confidence in Self-Efficacy for Arthritis Management Predicts Improved Patient Health

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Background

In addition to patient self-efficacy, spouse confidence in patient efficacy may also independently predict patient health outcomes. However, the potential influence of spouse confidence has received little research attention.

Purpose

The current study examined the influence of patient and spouse efficacy beliefs for arthritis management on patient health.

Methods

Patient health (i.e., arthritis severity, perceived health, depressive symptoms, lower extremity function), patient self-efficacy, and spouse confidence in patients’ efficacy were assessed in a sample of knee osteoarthritis patients (N = 152) and their spouses at three time points across an 18-month period. Data were analyzed using structural equation models.

Results

Consistent with predictions, spouse confidence in patient efficacy for arthritis management predicted improvements in patient depressive symptoms, perceived health, and lower extremity function over 6 months and in arthritis severity over 1 year.

Conclusions

Our findings add to a growing literature that highlights the important role of spouse perceptions in patients’ long-term health.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by a grant from the National Institutes for Health (R01 AG026010).

Authors’ Statement of Conflict of Interest and Adherence to Ethical Standards

Authors Gere, Martire, Keefe, Stephens, and Schulz declare that they have no conflict of interest. All procedures, including the informed consent process, were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA

    Judith Gere Ph.D. & Mary Ann Parris Stephens Ph.D.

  2. Penn State University, State College, PA, USA

    Lynn M. Martire Ph.D.

  3. Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Francis J. Keefe Ph.D.

  4. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Richard Schulz Ph.D.

  5. Department of Psychology, Kent State University, 211 Kent Hall, Kent, OH, 44242, USA

    Judith Gere Ph.D.

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  1. Judith Gere Ph.D.
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  2. Lynn M. Martire Ph.D.
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  3. Francis J. Keefe Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Judith Gere Ph.D..

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Gere, J., Martire, L.M., Keefe, F.J. et al. Spouse Confidence in Self-Efficacy for Arthritis Management Predicts Improved Patient Health. ann. behav. med. 48, 337–346 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-014-9608-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-014-9608-9

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