Psychosocial outcomes in diabetes: the interplay of intra- and interpersonal factors

A chronic illness such as diabetes can have a negative impact on a person’s well-being. However, some individuals will be more negatively affected by the disease than others. This thesis describes how intrapersonal (e.g., regulatory focus and gender) and interpersonal factors (partner support and social comparison) and the interaction between these factors are associated with psychosocial outcomes in patients with diabetes and their partners.
The results suggest that positive support behavior of the partner can compensate for vulnerable characteristics of the patient (i.e., a weak orientation towards obtaining positive outcomes, or a poor glycemic control), whereas negative support behavior seems to aggravate the negative effects of vulnerable characteristics on patients’ levels of distress. Furthermore, it was shown that both patients and partners may benefit from positive support behavior in terms of higher levels of relationship satisfaction, but may be harmed by negative support behavior. More importantly, the results suggest that the deleterious effects of negative support behaviour on relationship satisfaction may be compensated for by positive support behavior, in both patients and partners. Finally, the results showed that social comparison information may encourage patients to manage their diabetes when this information is congruent with their regulatory focus. The findings highlight the importance of considering the interplay between patients’ individual characteristics and patients’ social environment when explaining psychosocial outcomes.

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