Can We Talk? Developing a Social Support Nursing Intervention for Couples

Social support is an important influence on success during lifestyle modification attempts. According to the theory of expressed emotion, support that is perceived by the recipient as critical or overprotective is unhelpful and perhaps harmful. This article describes an intervention for couples and preliminary assessment of its feasibility and acceptability by the nurses who trialed it. Four staff nurses and 2 advanced practice nurses administered the intervention to 15 couples and reported on the benefits and limitations of the intervention. One individual in each couple had a chronic or an acute cardiac illness. The nurses perceived the intervention as valuable; even a single session stimulated discussion between the couple about important issues. Complexity, logistic barriers, and time constraints limited the technique. The authors conclude that this intervention may be most useful to clinical nurse specialists who have additional education, training in communication, and teaching and consulting skills.