We-disease Model: A conceptualization of couples’ dyadic coping when dealing with chronic physical or mental illness

Chronic physical illnesses and mental disorders usually do not occur in isolation, but rather within a social context. The course of a disease is influenced not only by medical treatment but also by close relatives, friends, and especially partners, who themselves are affected by illness-related restrictions or care-giver burden. However, to date, the social context is not been adequately considered, with the social component of the biopsychosocial model often receiving only limited attention. With the We-Disease Model (WDM), we promote a systemic/interpersonal view of mental disorders and somatic illnesses with a particular focus on the couple relationship and joint coping efforts. To address processes over time, we propose the Trajectory Model of We-Disease (TMWD) to consider the factors that influence we-disease processes and propose various trajectories over time. Finally, we address the significance of this perspective, which is conceptualized in the term “we-disease”, for health interventions.