Background: Cardiac disease is the leading cause of global mortality, highlighting the need to identify factors that support health behaviors and reduce cardiac risk factors. The link between intrinsic motivation and positive health behaviors is well established. As per self-determination theory, social relationships may engender this motivation, but little research has been conducted on whether the quality of one’s romantic relationship is associated with motivation, despite its positive influence on treatment adherence, health behaviors and cardiac outcomes. Further, there remains a paucity of this research in clinical populations, such as those with heart disease. The present study examines whether the association between couple relationship quality and cardiac health behaviors is mediated by motivation.

Methods: Cardiac patients (N = 301; 78% male; Mean age = 63 years ; 83% White) were recruited from a large tertiary cardiac care centre in Canada. Participants completed validated questionnaires on Motivation (Global Motivation Scale-28) and health behaviors, including fruit and vegetable intake, alcohol use, smoking status, and physical activity (Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire). Relationship quality was assessed using the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). Four mediation analyses, using PROCESS macro for SPSS, will be conducted to test whether motivation mediated the association between relationship quality and each health behavior.

Anticipated Outcomes: Intrinsic motivation is expected to be a significant mediator between relationship quality and health behaviors.

Conclusion: Significant results will signal the importance of relationship quality and motivation for health behaviors among patients with heart disease, highlighting the potential importance of couples-based interventions in cardiac rehabilitation.

Stephanie Susinski is a clinical research coordinator in Dr. Heather Tulloch’s Cardiovascular Health Psychology lab at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and incoming graduate student in psychology. She coordinates a randomized controlled trial, Healing Hearts Together, evaluating a couples-based intervention to improve relationship quality and cardiac health outcomes. She has presented at behavioral medicine conferences covering topics on mental health interventions and neuropsychological outcomes following cardiac events. Stephanie authored a scoping review on psychological interventions for women with cardiac disease and led a meta-analysis on mental health interventions for this population.