Abstract
Including supportive partners as part of cardiac rehabilitation programs (CRP) is important, as couple-oriented intervention programs are more successful than individually-oriented ones. However, relatively little is known about how partners can best support patients in making the necessary lifestyle changes recommended for optimal recovery. Further, while relationship-inferred self-efficacy (RISE) has been shown to be an important predictor of patients' self-efficacy in CRP, it is unclear as to how types of support from a partner may influence these perceptions. The current study examined the relationship between support styles and exercise in CRP patients, and whether this relationship was mediated by RISE beliefs and self-efficacy. To test this model, patients (N = 49, Mage = 63) and their support partners completed questionnaires containing items assessing these constructs at week 1 and week 9 of a 10-week CRP. To carry out the mediational analyses, PROCESS, an SPSS macro was used. Significant two-step mediation between support style and lifestyle changes was not found; however, analyses suggested that an autonomous support style was associated with an increase in patients' RISE beliefs (p<.001), which in turn predicted patients' self-efficacy in their own exercise abilities (p =.04). Conversely, an overprotective support style was correlated with a decrease in patients' self-efficacy for exercise (r = - .40, p<.01). While hampered by a small sample size, the findings of this preliminary analysis inform our understanding of the relationships between support processes, and relational perceptions in chronic disease management and highlight the need for further study in the area.Acknowledgments: This project was funded through an Acadia University Office of Research and Graduate Studies 25.55 Grant