The dyadic regulation approach of coping and illness representations in female cancer patients and their partners.

Purpose: Adjustment to any illness is a 'dyadic' process whereby patients and their partners mutually determine each other's perceptions, behaviours, and well-being. The present study explored the association between dyadic coping strategies and illness representations in newly diagnosed female cancer patients and their partners. Methods: The sample consisted of 92 female cancer patient-partner pairs from 3 oncology hospitals in Greece and Cyprus. The Actor Partner Interdependence Model was applied to test for dyadic regulation effects. Results: The findings revealed that patients' evaluations of dyadic coping were related to their own illness representations and, in some cases, to partners' illness representations of control. However, partner evaluations of dyadic coping were not associated with either patients' or their own illness representations. Relationship satisfaction did not moderate the relationship between dyadic coping and illness representations. Implications: The study suggests that patients' perceptions of support provided by themselves and their partners play a significant role in shaping their illness representations. Future research could delve into the underlying reasons for the observed differences in the impact of dyadic coping on illness representations between patients and partners, considering factors such as gender roles and specific gender-related issues.

Social Media Addiction, Self-Compassion, and Psychological Well-Being: A Structural Equation Model.

Objective: Research indicates that social media addiction is associated with several psychological consequences, for example, depression. Distressed individuals tend to devote more time to social media, which leads to impairment of daily life. Interestingly, individuals feeling more compassionate toward them tend to devote less time to social media and feel less psychologically distressed. This research aimed to examine the association between social media addiction and self-compassion and whether it can be further explained through the association of psychological distress. Methods: A sample of 255 Greek adults received a personal invitation sent to various social media platforms. Invitations included a link, which redirected participants to the information sheet and the study questionnaires, namely the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, the Self-Compassion Scale, and the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale. Participation was voluntary and no benefit/reward was granted. Results: As predicted, social media addiction was found to negatively correlate with self-compassion and positively with distress. We used structural equation modeling to examine associations between variables, with psychological distress acting as a mediator. Examination of estimated parameters in the model revealed statistically significant correlations, except for the positive dimensions of the Self-Compassion Scale, which were found to be insignificantly associated. Conclusion: Individuals with higher levels of self-compassion tend to report less social media additive behaviors and distress. The extensive use of social media is related to negative feelings and emotions. Self-compassion is a potential protective factor, while distress is a potential risk factor for social media addiction. Intervention programs dealing with social media addiction should consider the role of self-compassion.

The interpersonal impact of partner emotion regulation on chronic cardiac patients' functioning through affect.

In this prospective study, we examined whether physical and psychological functioning of patients with a cardiovascular disease is related to their partners' emotion regulation strategies through both persons' affect. The final sample consisted of 104 patients (25 women) and their partners. All couples were of the opposite sex and married. Two spouse emotion regulation strategies (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) were assessed at baseline; patient and spouse positive and negative affect was assessed 2 months later; patient functioning were assessed 4 months later. Spouse cognitive reappraisal, but not expressive suppression, was associated with patient functioning in an indirect way, with spouse and patient affect serving as mediators in-sequence. Specifically, spouse cognitive reappraisal was related to spouse affect which was associated with patient affect. In turn, patient affect was related to patient functioning. This adds to our understanding of the dyadic relationships between chronic patients' and partners' self-regulation processes and may also guide relevant psychological interventions.

The relation of spouse illness representations to patient representations and coping behavior: A study in couples dealing with a newly diagnosed cancer.

The central role of spouses/partners in patients' adaptation to cancer is well-established, but few studies have examined how partners facilitate adaptation. The Common Sense Model posits that a representation of illness as more controllable and less threatening promotes adaptive coping, but this has not been examined in a dyadic context. This cross-sectional study examined the relations of spouse illness representations of personal and treatment control, and emotional representations to recently diagnosed cancer patients' coping behaviors, through patient illness representations. One hundred forty-nine heterosexual couples (39.60% female patients; 77.18% dealing with early stage cancer) participated in the study. Structural Equation Modeling showed that spouse illness representations were related to patient coping directly and indirectly through patient illness representations. Both partners' representations of control were related to greater patient adaptive coping, and both partners' emotional representations were related to greater dysfunctional coping. These findings highlight the importance of partner illness representations in patients' adaptation to cancer. They also suggest that early intervention programs that address both partners' illness representations may enhance patients' adaptation to cancer.