We will recruit 66 couples in which one person has type 1 diabetes. Power is based on effect sizes from previous couple intervention studies and meta-analyses on primary outcomes. Couples will be randomly assigned to either a communal coping intervention or an attention (diabetes education) control group. All couples will come to the laboratory or meet via zoom, complete a baseline questionnaire assessment (primary and secondary outcomes, mediators) and have a videotaped conversation about how they cope with diabetes. The intervention group will receive the communal coping intervention. Couples in the intervention group will identify 5 collaborative implementation intentions, whereas controls will identify 5 individual implementation intentions. After the in-person session, couples will individually complete a daily diary at the end of the day for 14 consecutive days which focuses on daily communication, mood, and patient self-care. During the first 7 days, the intervention group will receive two text messages per day (morning focus on shared appraisal, evening focus on one of collaborative implementation intentions identified during in-person session). An in-person follow-up interview will take place 6 weeks after the initial session, during which primary outcomes, secondary outcomes, and mediators will be assessed and the videotaped conversation repeated.
