Abstract
Objectives.
Extending individual planning of health behaviour change to the level of the
dyad, dyadic planning refers to a target person and a planning partner jointly planning the
target person’s health behaviour change. To date, predictors of dyadic planning have not
been systematically investigated. Integrating cognitive predictors of individual planning
with four established predictor domains of social support provision, we propose a
framework of predictors of dyadic planning. Including target persons’ and partners’
perspectives, we examine these predictor domains in the context of prostate cancer
patients’ rehabilitative pelvic floor exercise (PFE) following radical prostatectomy.
Design.
Longitudinal data from 175 patients and their partners were analysed in a study
with four post-surgery assessments across 6 months.
Methods.
PFE-related dyadic planning was assessed from both partners together with
indicators from four predictor domains: context, target person, partner, and relationship
factors. Individual planning and social support served as covariates.
Results.
Findings from two-level models nesting repeated assessments in individuals
showed that context (patients’ incontinence), target person (i.e., positive affect and self-
efficacy), and relationship factors (i.e., relationship satisfaction) were uniquely associated
with dyadic planning, whereas partner factors (i.e., positive and negative affects) were not.
Factors predicting patients’ and partners’ accounts of dyadic planning differed.
Conclusions.
Resembling prior findings on antecedents of support provision in this
context, partner factors did not prevail as unique predictors of dyadic planning,
whereas indicators from all other predictor domains did. To establish predictive
direction, future work should use lagged predictions with shorter intermeasurement
intervals.
Fernandes-Jesus, Maria