Essere in due è meglio di uno: Il supporto coniugale nella malattia cardiaca

[Autom. eng. transl.] Introduction. Acute heart disease involves not only the patient, but also his relationships, among which the couple's relationship plays a crucial role (Bertoni, Donato, Graffigna, Barello, & Parise, 2015; Bodenmann, 2000). However, the scientific literature still devotes limited attention to the relational aspect: there are few studies that interview the partners and examine the link between illness and couples, both in terms of relapses on it, and in considering the marital relationship as a possible intervening factor in care (Vilchinsky et al., 2011). This research investigates: 1) if belonging to a couple relationship has repercussions on the patient's well-being; 2) what effects do different forms of partner support have (hyper-protection, hostile support, support for patient engagement) on the well-being of the patient and on his engagement in the care process. Method. The research involved 252 patients and 152 partners during hospitalization (T0) and about 8-10 months later (T1). A self-report questionnaire was administered aimed at investigating different constructs including the patient's psycho-physical well-being in terms of anxiety, depression and somatic disorders, patient engagement (PE) and various forms of marital support. Results. The results reveal that the patient's marital status does not predict PE. The type of support provided by the partner, if expressed through overprotection, increases the patient's somatization and decreases PE, while if he takes the form of hostile support he predicts an increase in depressive symptoms. Conclusions: The results show how the partner plays a crucial role in the treatment process following an acute cardiac event. Its action does not always produce positive effects: if the partner is overprotective or hostile the patient shows an increase in symptoms. The absence of differences in terms of well-being between patients in pairs or not suggests that it is not so much the presence of a bond as the quality of this that protects the patient in his course of treatment.