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BackgroundSuccessfully coping with a chronic disease depends significantly on social support, particularly that of a significant other. Thus, it depends on the ways of dealing with stress within a couple (dyadic coping). In this study, the relationship between dyadic coping and well-being was investigated among couples in which one partner suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).MethodsA total of 43 couples participated. They were mailed questionnaires on anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), quality of life (World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-BREF), and dyadic coping (Dyadic Coping Inventory).ResultsLow scores of positive and high scores of negative dyadic coping were associated with poorer quality of life and higher psychological distress among couples. Delegated coping (assistance with daily tasks) was higher among partners. When estimated by patients, high delegated partner coping (frequent provision of support by partners) and low delegated personal coping (low provision of support by patients) were associated with poorer quality of life for both patient and partner. COPD patients suffering from depression were supported more often and attributed deficits in dyadic coping primarily to themselves, whereas partners with higher scores of depression provided higher estimates of both their own negative coping and the negative coping of their partner.ConclusionThe higher the patient perceived the imbalance in delegated dyadic coping, the lower the couple’s quality of life. More negative and less positive dyadic coping were associated with lower quality of life and higher psychological distress. Psychotherapeutic interventions to improve dyadic coping may lead to better quality of life and less psychological distress among COPD patients and their partners.

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is associated with psychological distress for patients as well as their partners. Dyadic coping can be negatively impacted by stressors. This study's objective was to compare the dyadic coping of couples in which one partner suffered from COPD with healthy couples of the same age. A total of 43 complete couples with COPD and 138 healthy couples participated in this pilot study. The surveys were sent by mail. The response rate of the COPD sample was 24.3%. In order to analyze the effect of gender and role (patient vs. partner) on dyadic coping, linear mixed models were calculated. To analyze the effect of gender and group (COPD group vs. normative comparison group) on dyadic coping, two-way analyses of variance were calculated for independent samples. COPD patients and their partners indicated that the patients received more support and were less able to provide support to their partners. This difference was also evident in comparison with the normative comparison group. In addition, couples with COPD perceived higher levels of negative coping and provided a considerably lower assessment of their positive dyadic coping. The dyadic coping of couples with COPD is unbalanced and more negative when compared to that of healthy couples. Interventions aimed at supporting COPD couples should seek to improve couples' dyadic coping in addition to individual coping strategies.

Power and coherence spectra were computed from all-night sleep EEG records in 6 healthy adult subjects. Derivations were from F3, F4, P3, P4, O1, 02, T3, and T4 to the vertex (Cz). Records were conventionally scored into sleep stages. Average power per sleep stage was maximal at frequencies 0.4–6 c/s in stage 4, at 6–10 c/s in either stage 3 or stage 4, at 12–14 c/s in stage 2 and at 14–30 c/s in stage 1. The average power range from highest values in the lowest frequency band to lowest values in the highest frequency band showed marked differences between sleep stages: It was lowest (12–14 dB) in stage 1, followed by stage 2 (20–22 dB), and stage 3 (16–28 dB), and largest in stage 4 (29–32 dB). REM sleep (15–16 sB) was between stage 1 and 2. The waking state showed an average power range of 11–15 dB. Alpha power at 8–10 c/s in occipital and parietal leads was remarkably constant during sleep, i.e. independent of sleep stage. Coherence showed maximal values at 2–8 c/s in REM sleep, at 8–12 c/s in stage 4, at 12–17 c/s in either stage 3 or 4, and at 17–30 c/s again in stage REM. There was significant coherence increase at 2–8 and 17–30 c/s from NREM to REM sleep, most pronounced between parietal to vertex derivations. Overall coherence between both occipital-to-vertex, or between occipital and parietal-to-vertex derivations, was essentially higher than in the other derivations. The results, essentially, give a comprehensive phenomenology of the dynamic spectral structure of all-night sleep EEG. They suggest that the different brain states during sleep (e.g. stage 1 NREM vs. REM) which are associated with different functions (e.g. hypnagogic hallucinations vs. dreams) differ in EEG spectral parameters if coherence is considered. Likewise, they suggest that studies of automatic sleep staging based exclusively on EEG spectral parameters appear promising.

Our findings revealed a differentiated and complex picture about relationship changes over time, which also might aid in the development of support programs for couples dealing with advanced cancer, focusing on the aspects of caring, closeness/distance regulation, and communication patterns.