The relationship between a couple's marital adjustment and beliefs about diabetes mellitus

Twenty married couples with one partner diagnosed as having diabetes at age 40 or older within the past 5 years participated in this study. Participants completed the diabetes or family version of Beliefs About Diabetes (BAD) and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). Results showed that perceived barriers to diet and to medication by the person with diabetes were associated with higher marital satisfaction and quality of marriage. In contrast, for the nondiabetic spouse, the perceived benefits of diet were negatively associated with the ability to work with the diabetic spouse. Additional research is needed to better understand the effect of diabetes on the marital relationship.