The goals of this study were to (i) examine the association of social support and strain with psychological well-being and health, (ii) investigate whether these associations depended on relationship-type (partner, family, friend), (iii) examine the buffering effects of support on strain (both within and across relationship-type), and (iv) test the extent to which these associations differed by age and sex. The sample contained 2,348 adults (55% male) aged 25 to 75 years (M = 46.3), who were married or cohabitating. Positive and negative social exchanges were more strongly related to psychological well-being than to health. For both sexes, partner support and strain and family support were predictive of well-being measures; partner strain was also predictive of health problems. However, family strain was predictive of well-being and health outcomes more often for women. Further, while we did find evidence that supportive networks could buffer the detrimental effects of strained interactions, friends and family served a buffering role more often for women than for men.

There were significant differences among the age groups in most of the variables: With increasing age symptom duration increased but FMS symptomatology decreased. No age differences were found among the psychosocial mediators. The results suggest that the effects of FMS decrease over time.

Objectives: Fibromyalgia syndrome [FMS] is a chronic condition that is resistant to treatment and has no known cause. However, researchers have hypothesized a number of possible antecedents, including traumatic events. The present study examined the relationship Downloaded by [UQ Library] at 20:30 12 July 2015between the occurrence and perceived severity of different traumatic events, health outcomes, and health care use in patients with FMS.Methods: Participants were 600 members [95% females, 85% Caucasian, mean age = 54] of a health maintenance organization who met the American College of Rheumatology criteria for FMS. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess a patient's trauma history. The dependent variables included health status, sleep, pain, depression, and health care utilization.Results: Ninety-one percent of the participants reported experiencing at least one traumatic event prior to the onset of FMS symptoms. The average number of events experienced was 3.6 [SD = 2.3] and, using a 10-point scale, the average severity rating was 7.5 [SD = 2.4]. Analyses demonstrated modest support for a relationship between the recall of past traumatic events, their perceived severity, and several outcomes.Conclusions: While the effect sizes of the relationships between trauma and outcomes were small, results suggest that prospective studies including an examination of the occurrence and perceived severity of traumatic events may provide useful information about the etiology of FMS.

Patient satisfaction may be defined as the extent to which a patient believes that his or her health care needs are met and whether their preferences are considered. Early research focused on sociodemographic variables as correlates of patient satisfaction, and recently psychosocial variables have received attention. The present study was an examination of members of a health maintenance organization who were diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). It was hypothesized that demographic, health and psychosocial variables would predict patient satisfaction, and in turn that patient satisfaction would predict health care costs. Multiple regression analyses indicated that greater satisfaction with social support and higher scores on agreeableness were associated with greater patient satisfaction, although only 13% of the variance in patient satisfaction was explained. Future studies of patient satisfaction should examine physicians' attitudes and behaviors along with those of patients.

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