Couples and Arthritis Studies
Women who reported higher levels of mutuality at baseline tended to report better health six months later.
"Can We Talk?"
If you have a chronic disease, your conversations with your partner may be more important than you think. Shelley Kasle, PhD, research assistant professor at the Arizona Arthritis Center, investigates how relationships impact those with chronic diseases such as arthritis.
Dr. Kasle’s “Couples and Arthritis” study focuses on “mutuality” as a potential factor influencing the health of rheumatoid arthritis patients. The study defines mutuality as “reciprocated interest in sharing thoughts and feelings in a close relationship – truly wanting to know where each partner is coming from.” Dr. Kasle measures mutuality as participants’ ratings of how often they and their partners react with interest, empathy and openness when they talk about things that are important to them. Although interest, validation and empowerment are components of mutuality, Dr. Kasle notes that highly mutual couples are authentic with each other. “They can be themselves all the time and they can disagree without jeopardizing their closeness.” She adds, “Mutuality is not equivalent to love, since some couples might adore each other and still not converse in ways that fit this definition of mutuality.”
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