Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association
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This study of adults with osteoarthritis and their spouses examined spouse responses to patients' pain as mediators of the associations between spouse confidence in patients' ability to manage arthritis and improvements in patients' physical function and activity levels over time. ⋯ This study adds to the literature on spousal influences on health by identifying 2 spouse behaviors that help to explain how spouse confidence for patients' illness management translates into improvements in patients' physical health over time. Findings can inform the development of couple-focused illness management interventions aiming to increase the positive influence of the spouse on patients' health behaviors and outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record