Couples' Reactions and Adjustment to Mastectomy: A Preliminary Report

Abstract

In this preliminary study, twenty post-mastectomy women and their husbands were examined for adjustment and family relations. Adjustment was assessed by the Psychosocial Adjustment to Physical Illness Scale and by the Brief Symptom Inventory. Family relations were assessed by the Family Environment Scale. The main finding was that a high correlation was found between the adjustment of the women and their husbands. Furthermore it was noticed that there was a tendency of the husbands' adjustment to get worse with time and/or with addition of treatment. The findings strongly suggest the need for further study of the adjustment of the family unit.

Psychosocial adjustment of patients and caregivers prior to allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

“…Following procedures employed by Baider and Kaplan De-Nour 8 and with permission for use of this version by Clinical Psychometric Research, the PAIS-SR was revised for administration to a non-patient population, that is, the patient's caregiver. Specifically, questions were rephrased 'how much of the patient's illness interfered with your work and duties around the house' 'has the patient's illness resulted in a decrease in communication between you and your family' to ask caregivers about the impact of the patient's illness on him/her (caregiver).…”

“…Sev-eral studies have shown that patients and their caregivers do not differ in their level of psychological distress. For example, using the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale, Baider and Kaplan De-Nour [8][9] found similar levels of psychological distress in breast, colon, and testicular cancer patients and their spousal caregivers. Despite these findings, other studies suggest that patients and their caregivers differ in their level of psychological distress.…”

Perspectives of husbands of women with breast cancer: Impact and response

“…This was the point in time when the partner's distress was recognized as being as high, if not higher than the women's (McGuire, 1981;Baider & De-Nour, 1984).…”

Impact of cancer patients? quality of life on that of spouse caregivers

“…Only a few studies actually used a matched sample to measure the relationship between QOL in cancer patients and their caregivers [1,5]. Baider and colleagues [1] studied 20 couples in which the wife had breast cancer and reported a significant positive correlation between the adjustment of patients and husbands.…”