Communal coping with type 2 diabetes: A 5-year measurement burst study

Communal coping is an interpersonal coping style that has been linked to positive psychosocial and health outcomes. The study goals were (a) to investigate changes in communal coping among persons with diabetes (PWD) over 5 years and (b) to assess how links of communal coping to outcomes change over that time.

A measurement burst design was used. Couples in which one person had Type 2 diabetes (64% White, 36% Black) completed a 14-day diary shortly after diagnosis (M = 1.88 years) (2012-2017) and again 5 years later. Mean levels of communal coping (shared appraisal, collaboration) among PWD were compared across the two bursts to assess changes in communal coping. Multilevel modeling was used to assess links of between- and within-person communal copings to psychosocial (mood, coping, positive support, and negative interactions) and diabetes (glucose checking, glucose level, and dietary adherence) outcomes. Interactions with time were included to determine how links of communal coping to outcomes changed over time.

Communal coping decreased across the 5 years among the 99 PWD. Consistent with past research, within- and between-person communal copings were linked to positive psychosocial outcomes and improved diet. Overall, between-person communal coping was more strongly linked to positive outcomes at Time 2 than Time 1. The opposite pattern was observed at the within-person level, but it was less consistent for diabetes outcomes, and several exceptions emerged.

Person-level communal coping becomes more important over time. Interventions aimed at sustaining communal coping may facilitate better health among people with Type 2 diabetes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).