What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Observational. Population: Type 1 diabetes (n=54). Intervention: Negative illness perceptions. Primary outcome: Daily communal coping behaviors (emotional support, instrumental support, illness avoidance, overprotective behaviors, and controlling behaviors).

What question did this study set out to answer?

This research examines how illness perceptions of partners influence communal coping behaviors in couples dealing with type 1 diabetes.

June 7, 2026

2787-LB: Do Illness Perceptions Predict Communal Coping: Exploring Dyadic Processes among Young Couples with Type 1 Diabetes

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

In young couples managing Type 1 Diabetes, more negative illness perceptions predict increased daily controlling behaviors and higher instrumental support from partners. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Key Result

More negative baseline illness perceptions among persons with type 1 diabetes and their partners predicted greater daily controlling behaviors and higher instrumental support.

Key Points

This research examines how illness perceptions of partners influence communal coping behaviors in couples dealing with type 1 diabetes.
Twenty-seven emerging adult couples participated in a 2-week daily diary study.
Illness perceptions were measured using the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ) during baseline assessment.
Daily self-reports of communal coping behaviors were collected, focusing on emotional support and controlling behaviors.
Negative illness perceptions in both partners predicted higher reports of controlling behaviors.
Higher partner illness perceptions were associated with increased instrumental support among couples.
Perceptions of T1D severity led to greater perceptions of communal coping behaviors being exerted by partners.

Study Design

Type

Observational (n=54)

Structured PICO

Population

54 individuals (27 emerging adult couples, each with one person with type 1 diabetes and one romantic partner) followed in a 2-week daily diary study.

Outcome

Associations between illness perceptions and 5 communal coping behaviors (emotional support, instrumental support, illness avoidance, overprotective behaviors, and controlling behaviors)patient reported

Negative illness perceptions in couples dealing with type 1 diabetes predict increased controlling behaviors and instrumental support from partners.

Abstract

Introduction and Objective: Partners play a crucial, but underleveraged role in the management of type 1 diabetes (T1D) among married or partnered persons with diabetes (PWD). PWD and T1D Partners make cognitive and emotional assessments of the challenges associated with T1D management. We examined associations between PWD and partner illness perception and 5 communal coping behaviors. Methods: Twenty-seven emerging adult couples (one PWD and one romantic partner) participated in a 2-week daily diary study. PWDs and partners illness perceptions were assessed via 5 items through the baseline survey, based on the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ). The BIPQ measures to what extent participants feel T1D affects their lives, control they feel they have over T1D, severity of T1D symptoms, concerns about T1D, and how T1D affects them emotionally. Communal coping was assessed via daily self-report surveys of emotional support, instrumental support, illness avoidance, overprotective behaviors, and controlling behaviors. Results: Mixed regression models indicated that more negative baseline illness perceptions of PWDs and partners predicted daily controlling behaviors. Additionally, T1D partner illness perceptions predicted higher instrumental support. Conclusion: When couples perceive that T1D is more severe, each partner reported higher perceptions of controlling communal coping behaviors by their partner. More negative illness perceptions also predicted greater partner instrumental communal coping. Illness perceptions appear to play an important role in how daily T1D communal coping behaviors are carried out by partners of PWDs. Disclosure R. Lattin: None. H. Johnston: None. R. Blacker: None. L.C. Rawlings: None. O. Hubble: None. E. Arnett: None. C.A. Berg: None. C.D. Jensen: None. A. Davey: None. C.W. Jones: None. J. Saylor: None. J. Yorgason: None. Funding National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R15DK142163)

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