Couples managing chronic illness: A test of the extended theoretical model of communal coping

Abstract

How individuals in romantic partnerships cope with health challenges either separately or together has a profound impact on their individual and relational well-being. The goal of this investigation was to test the logic of the recently extended Theoretical Model of Communal Coping (TMCC) by assessing how the two dimensions of communal coping, shared appraisal and joint action, are related to individual and relational well-being. Dyadic survey data from 100 romantic couples were analyzed using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. Results support the TMCC’s assertion that shared appraisal and joint action are distinct facets of communal coping and extend the model by highlighting how different partners’ experiences with communal coping may be.