Health consequences of partner distress in couples coping with heart failure

Background: Chronic heart failure (HF) is associated with psychologic distress for patients and their spouses. Although research indicates that a patient\u27s distress can influence the course of illness, less is known about possible effects of a spouse\u27s distress on the patient or of a patient\u27s distress on the health of the spouse. Methods and Results: Baseline home interviews of 60 patients with HF (43 men, 17 women) and their spouses included assessments of each partner\u27s psychologic distress (Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25) and perceived general health (Short Form-36 Questionnaire), as well as severity of patients\u27 HF symptoms. We repeated the health and HF-symptom assessments in follow-up interviews 6 months later. As hypothesized, the spouse\u27s distress at baseline predicted an unfavorable course of patients\u27 HF symptoms and general health over the next 6 months, independently of the patient\u27s own baseline distress. There were no prospective effects of the patient\u27s distress on the spouse\u27s health, however, suggesting that partner distress had asymmetric health consequences for patients and spouses. Conclusion: The results complement other evidence linking marital quality to the course of HF and highlight the importance of looking beyond the patient to improve prediction of health outcomes. © 2009 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved