No abstract

Living with a chronic illness such as multiple sclerosis (MS) has significant psychosocial ramifications. In particular, the patient's relationship with a spouse or significant other is often negatively affected. Programs are needed to address the psychosocial challenges of the illness and help improve outcomes for both the person with MS and his or her romantic support partner. Relationship Matters (RM) is a relationship enrichment program that integrates information and resources of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society with empirically based marriage education. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the RM program in increasing relationship satisfaction and aspects of health-related quality of life in couples living with MS over a 3-month follow-up period. Couples were given 8 hours of programming via in-person workshops disseminated across the country or teleconferences. A control group consisting of members of MS couples who did not receive the intervention was used for comparison. The results indicate that RM significantly improved relationship satisfaction over time compared with no intervention (P < .05). Additional findings include significant improvements in mental health-related quality of life as well as reported improvements in communication, conflict resolution, and ability to handle MS-specific relationship issues. Overall, these findings show that RM results in improved couple functioning and additional psychological health benefits for individuals with MS and their romantic support partners.

Objective Inadequate health care quality may contribute to Native American health disparities through racial/ethnic discrimination by health care professionals. Nursing approaches to relationships and caring offer a means to understand health disparities through an unconventional lens. The study objective was to examine health disparities within the context of patient/nurse relationships. Design A descriptive‐qualitative method guided data collection and analysis. Eleven nurses who serve Native Americans were interviewed. They described attitudes, meaningful relationships, and nurse leadership. Results Nurses discussed their perceptions of and experiences with Native American patients. Four themes emerged: shared patient/nurse values, patient‐centered care, external forces, and stereotype‐driven care. Conclusions Are we ready for the challenge to advocate for, build, and sustain organizational structures that support caring relationships? Implications for public health nursing include being intentional about recognizing implicit biases and ethnocentrism; examining nurses’ complicit roles in perpetuating racism; and developing mechanisms to collectively advocate for improved Native American health.