Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39102683›Full record

ArticleJMIR mHealth and uHealth2024

Using Wearables to Study Biopsychosocial Dynamics in Couples Who Cope With a Chronic Health Condition: Ambulatory Assessment Study.

Theresa Pauly, Janina Lüscher, Lea Olivia Wilhelm, Melanie Alexandra Amrein, George Boateng, Tobias Kowatsch, Elgar Fleisch, Guy Bodenmann, Urte Scholz

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Theresa PaulyDepartment of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-6855-1787
Janina LüscherSwiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-2453-1925
Lea Olivia WilhelmMedical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-8564-8126
Melanie Alexandra AmreinDepartment of Health Sciences, Helsana Group, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-0719-5109
George BoatengCentre for Digital Health Interventions, Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-4540-9582
Tobias KowatschCentre for Digital Health Interventions, Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-5939-4145
Elgar FleischCentre for Digital Health Interventions, Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-4842-1117
Guy BodenmannDepartment of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-0964-6409
Urte ScholzDepartment of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-0184-5921

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTechnology has become an integral part of our everyday life, and its use to manage and study health is no exception. Romantic partners play a critical role in managing chronic health conditions as they tend to be a primary source of support.

objectiveThis study tests the feasibility of using commercial wearables to monitor couples' unique way of communicating and supporting each other and documents the physiological correlates of interpersonal dynamics (ie, heart rate linkage).

methodsWe analyzed 617 audio recordings of 5-minute duration (384 with concurrent heart rate data) and 527 brief self-reports collected from 11 couples in which 1 partner had type II diabetes during the course of their typical daily lives. Audio data were coded by trained raters for social support. The extent to which heart rate fluctuations were linked among couples was quantified using cross-correlations. Random-intercept multilevel models explored whether cross-correlations might differ by social contexts and exchanges.

resultsSixty percent of audio recordings captured speech between partners and partners reported personal contact with each other in 75% of self-reports. Based on the coding, social support was found in 6% of recordings, whereas at least 1 partner self-reported social support about half the time (53%). Couples, on average, showed small to moderate interconnections in their heart rate fluctuations (r=0.04-0.22). Couples also varied in the extent to which there was lagged linkage, that is, meaning that changes in one partner's heart rate tended to precede changes in the other partner's heart rate. Exploratory analyses showed that heart rate linkage was stronger (1) in rater-coded partner conversations (vs moments of no rater-coded partner conversations: r

conclusionsOur study provides initial evidence for the utility of using wearables to collect biopsychosocial data in couples managing a chronic health condition in daily life. Specifically, heart rate linkage might play a role in fostering chronic disease management as a couple. Insights from collecting such data could inform future technology interventions to promote healthy lifestyle engagement and adaptive chronic disease management. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/13685.

Indexed as

Wearable Electronic DevicesAdaptation, PsychologicalAdultAgedChronic DiseaseFemaleHeart RateHumansInterpersonal RelationsMaleMiddle AgedSelf ReportSocial Supportbiopsychosocial dynamicschronic diseasecouplesheart ratemHealthmobile healthphysiological linkagesocial supporttechnologytype II diabetesusabilityutilitywearables

Identifiers

PMID39102683
PMCPMC11333870

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.