The role of partner support in chronic disease outcomes

Research overview

Patient care and disease management are typically treated as individual concerns rather than as a social process involving interactions between the patient and his or her partner.

Abundant scientific evidence links social context to health inequality and lack of positive social relations with others impacts upon risk of disease, disease management and disease outcomes.

This project offers an exciting opportunity to develop and test a comprehensive account of how partner interactions and social adjustment impact chronic illness, with immediate relevance to care of arthritis patients.

Further studies extend this focus to kidney disease and dialysis patients, investigating how partners, families and healthcare teams can provide effective regulatory support. These projects aim to identify strategies that help patients maintain treatment goals, such as managing fluid balance and improving overall quality of life.

In addition, we are investigating the social and emotional consequences of adult-onset craniopharyngioma, a rare condition that can significantly impact psychological wellbeing and relationships. This research aims to identify challenges faced by patients and families and inform interventions that provide better emotional and social support.

Example papers

Murray, S. L., McNulty, J. K., Xia, J., Lamarche, V. M., Seery, M. D., Ward, D. E., Griffin, D. W., Hicks, L. L., & Jung, H. Y. (2023). Pursuing safety in social connection regulates the risk-regulation, social-safety, and behavioral-immune systems. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 125(3), 519–547.
Orbell, S., Szczepura, A., Weller, D., Gumber, A., & Hagger, M. S. (2017). South Asian ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and psychological mediators of faecal occult blood colorectal screening participation: A prospective test of a process model. Health Psychology, 36(12), 1161–1172.
Valentini, E., Koch, K., & Hajcak, G. (2017). The neural response to pain is modulated by the social presence of others. NeuroImage, 150, 1–10.
Daughters, K., & Hirsch, J. K. (2019). Chronic pain, distress tolerance, and psychological outcomes. Journal of Health Psychology, 24(4).
Lamarche, V. M. (2020). Socially connected and COVID‑19 prepared: The influence of sociorelational safety on perceived importance of COVID‑19 precautions and trust in government responses. Social Psychological Bulletin, 15, 1–25.
Valentini, E., Fetter, E., & Orbell, S. (2020). Treatment preferences in fibromyalgia patients: A cross-sectional web-based survey. European journal of pain (London, England), 24(7), 1290–1300.
Valentini, E. (2021). Neurological Markers of Maladaptive Brain Activity in Fibromyalgia and their Relationship with Treatment Effectiveness. Journal of Trial and Error.
Murray, S. L., Xia, J., Lamarche, V. M., et al. (2023). Sensitizing the behavioral‑immune system: The power of social pain. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 14(4), 371–380.

Researchers

Dr Katie Daughters

Researcher

Department of Psychology, University of Essex

Dr Veronica Lamarche

Researcher

Department of Psychology, University of Essex

Dr Elia Valentini

Researcher

Department of Psychology, University of Essex

Dr Andriana Theodoropoulou

Researcher

Department of Psychology, University of Essex

Dr Ola Farris

Researcher

Department of Psychology, University of Essex

Ovgun Ses

Postgraduate research student

Department of Psychology, University of Essex

Chloe Tasker

Postgraduate Research Student

Department of Psychology, University of Essex

Evie Dilkes

Postgraduate Research Student

Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex

Dr Richard Smith

Chief Investigator

ESNEFT, NHS

Dr Richard Smith is a consultant nephrologist and clinical director of Research at ESNEFT.

Dr Tania Gudu

Consultant Rheumatologist

ESNEFT

Dr Tania Gudu PhD is a Consultant Rheumatologist at ESNEFT who works one day a week at EEPRU collaborating with psychology staff on projects relating to arthritis and chronic pain.