Predicting Daily Satisfaction with Spouse Responses Among People with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Social support has been strongly linked to health outcomes. However, the factors associated with satisfaction with social support remain poorly understood.

We examined the impact of different types of support, affect, marital satisfaction, personality, and disease-related variables on day-to-day and overall satisfaction with spouse responses.

Sixty-nine married people with rheumatoid arthritis completed an initial structured interview, followed by twice-daily phone interviews for 1 week.

Higher levels of esteem support were associated with increased satisfaction, whereas negative spouse responses were related to decreased satisfaction across the day. Greater positive affect and lower pain were associated with higher concurrent satisfaction, but the effects did not last over the day. At the between-person level, older age and lower fatigue were related to higher satisfaction.

Several key factors related to support satisfaction were identified. Esteem support appeared to play a particularly important role and warrants attention in future research.