INTERPERSONAL EXPECTATIONS, SOCIAL SUPPORT, AND ADJUSTMENT TO CHRONICILLNESS

Chronic illness places considerable burdens on patients and their inte rpersonal relations with families. In this study, patients' perception s of family and medical staff expectations regarding responsibility fo r care and routine functions were examined. The authors hypothesized t hat a patient's perceived inability to meet others' expectations about coping with illness would lead to poorer adjustment. Forty-two chroni cally ill patients were assessed prospectively for perceptions of othe rs' expectations, social support, and psychological adjustment. Findin gs confirmed that expectations predicted subsequent decreases in psych ological adjustment over a 3-month period, even when social support wa s controlled. A test of the reverse hypothesis showed that poorly adju sted patients did not misperceive others' expectations. Theoretical in terpretations of the findings and their relation to social support res earch are discussed.