Overcoming Barriers to Physical Activity in People with Osteoarthritis: the Role of Empathic Accuracy in Couples' Planning Discussions.

Publisher: Informa Healthcare Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9421097 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1532-7558 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 10705503 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Int J Behav Med Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: London : Informa Healthcare
Original Publication: Hillsdale, NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, c1994-

Empathy*; Exercise/*physiology ; Osteoarthritis/*physiopathology; Adult ; Aged ; Emotions ; Female ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sexual Partners/psychology ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic joint disease with significant individual and public health consequences. Physical activity can reduce OA symptoms, but patients often fall below recommended levels. Social support from an intimate partner can help them become more active; however, some couples are better than others at enacting effective support. We examined the role of empathic accuracy (EA)-the ability to understand another person's thoughts and feelings-in couples' ability to identify strategies for overcoming barriers to increasing activity. We also examined whether EA was associated with changes in affect and with emotion regulation and communication skills.
Method: Forty-two insufficiently physically active participants with OA identified a barrier to becoming more active in a recorded discussion with their partner. Next, both rated self and partner thoughts and feelings during the discussion. Raters coded EA and whether discussions reached a solution. Affect and skills were assessed with validated questionnaires.
Results: An actor-partner interdependence model found higher EA for participants in couples who reached a solution compared to those who did not reach a solution in the allotted time. Both partners' EA was associated with reduced negative affect in the other member of the couple. Unexpectedly, EA in people with OA was associated with reduced positive affect for their partners. EA was positively associated with one skill: emotional clarity.
Conclusion: Findings from this early-stage study suggest that EA can help couples manage health-related issues together. Emotional clarity emerged as a skill related to EA, suggesting avenues for additional research.

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P60 AR064166 United States AR NIAMS NIH HHS; P60AR064166 United States AR NIAMS NIH HHS

Keywords: Close relationships; Empathy; Interpersonal accuracy; Osteoathritis

Date Created: 20200213 Date Completed: 20200724 Latest Revision: 20210402

20240105

PMC7335265

10.1007/s12529-020-09856-x

32048228