Richard Gonzalez
Center Director, Research Center for Group Dynamics, Institute for Social Research
Director, BioSocial Methods Collaborative, RCGD
Amos N Tversky Collegiate Professor, Psychology and Statistics, LSA
Professor of Marketing, Stephen M Ross School of Business
Professor of Integrative Systems and Design, College of Engineering
| E-mail: | Email Richard Gonzalez |
| Address: | Research Center for Group Dynamics Institute for Social Research University of Michigan 426 Thompson Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 |
| Phone: | 734-647-6785 |
The role of the spouse in diabetes distress and depression among the elderly
It is still surprising to see that so little of social and health psychology examines the role of spouses. We hope to fill this gap with this project.
Franks, M., Lucas, T., Stephens, M., Rook, K., & Gonzalez, R. (2010). Diabetes distress
and depressive symptoms: A dyadic investigation of older patients and their spouses.
Family Relations, 59, 599-610. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3729.2010.00626.x (PDF)
Abstract
In this dyadic study, we examined diabetes distress experienced by male and female patients and their spouses (N = 185 couples), and its association with depressive symptoms using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. Diabetes-related distress reported by both patients and spouses was associated with each partner’s own depressive symptoms (actor effects) but generally was not associated with the
other’s depressive symptoms (partner effects). Moreover, diabetes distress was associated with depressive symptoms more strongly for male than for female patients, but this association did not differ between female and male spouses. Findings underscore the dyadic nature of managing chronic illness in that disease-related distress was experienced by patients and by their spouses and consistently was associated with poorer affective well-being.
