Couples' Support Provision During Illness: The Role of Perceived Emotional Responsiveness

The authors investigated emotional (empathy) and problematic (minimizing) support exchanges between 243 women experiencing a lupus flare-up and their husbands. Husbands and wives reported the amount of support they provided to each other and the extent to which they felt the support they received from partners was emotionally responsive (validating). The authors expected individuals' perceptions of spouses' emotional responsiveness to mediate the relationship between support and psychosocial well-being. As predicted, more spousal emotional support was interpreted as being more emotionally responsive, which in turn was associated with better well-being. In contrast, more problematic support was interpreted as being less emotionally responsive, which in turn was associated with poorer well-being. Couples who are able to meet each others' emotional needs may experience better adjustment when coping with chronic illness.