Interpersonal psychological factors and asthma outcomes in romantic relationships: a systematic review

In adults with asthma, intrapersonal psychological factors are important in asthma outcomes; however, the role of interpersonal factors, particularly within romantic relationships, remains unclear. This study aimed to systematically review the research involving couples and focusing on the associations of asthma outcomes with interpersonal factors (particularly partners' responses to asthma and dyadic factors).

A systematic literature search was conducted across databases of PsycINFO, CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science. Manual searching was also conducted by screening the reference lists and citations. All results were narratively synthesised.

Seven studies (N = 680 dyads) were included in the review. The evidence suggests that: (1) Better patient outcomes (better physical health and asthma quality of life and lower healthcare use) were associated with partners' lower psychological distress and partners' perceptions of better patient asthma self-management; (2) Asthma symptom severity was positively associated with dyadic factors (better marital functioning and higher relationship satisfaction).

This review highlighted that interpersonal factors are important for asthma outcomes in adults with asthma, noting that these factors remain understudied. Future research is needed to adopt a dyadic approach and investigate other interpersonal factors, such as partners' cognitive appraisals of the illness and behavioural responses.