Quality of couples' relationship and adjustment to metastatic breast cancer.

Abstract

This study examined mood disturbance among women with metastatic breast cancer in relationship to partnership status, relationship quality, and partner's coping and mood disturbance. These associations were examined within a total sample of 125 metastatic breast cancer patients and a subsample of 48 of these patients and their partners. Partnered and single women were indistinguishable in mood disturbance when household income was statistically controlled. Results also showed that patients were less distressed when they rated the relationship higher in Cohesion--Expression and in Conflict and when their partners reported lower mood disturbance. One possible implication of these results is that in relationships in which a woman has metastatic cancer, she may benefit from open engagement of difficulties and conflict. Furthermore, alleviating her distress may be better achieved by focus on the couple relationship rather than her individual coping.

Psychosocial variables associated with husbands’ adjustment three months following wives’ diagnosis of breast cancer

“…22 This finding appears to mirror the relation found between similar variables of marital and personal psychological adjustment in women. 9,14 Further, in this study, husbands' marital adjustment appears strongly associated with their perceptions of their wives' psychosocial quality of life. Hence, despite husbands' marital adjustment failing to add significantly to the prediction of their overall psychological adjustment in the regression analyses, the potential interactions of this variable along with others appear worthy of note.…”

“…One study 13 suggested that husbands who engage in avoidant coping demonstrate poorer adjustment. Researchers also have shown that women's perceptions of their marriages affect their adjustment to breast cancer, 9,14 but what is not known is whether husbands' perceptions affect their adjustment to their wives' illness. Another predictor of husbands' adjustment that has not been explored is their perception of their wives' quality of life.…”

A Survey of Couples Facing Breast Cancer in Women

“…The latter refers to advice or information which is mainly expected from medical staff. Women's satisfaction with the social support they receive from their partners is an important predictor of the enhancement of their mood and quality of life (Giese-Davis et al 2000;Helgeson and Cohen 1996). More-over, women's perception of her partner as highly supportive predicts a better adjustment to the stress of the illness as it plays a buffering role against comorbid disorders such as depression or anxiety (Manne et al 1999), and helps to maintain a good quality of life which is in turn predictive of better outcomes (e.g.…”

Broken doctor–patient relationships: why won't they listen?

“…318 Patients' ability to cope with advanced cancer appears to be influenced by the quality of relationships and social support.Women with metastatic breast cancer report less distress when their relationship with their partner is more cohesive. 319 Better adjustment appears related to emotional expression 320 and less avoidance.…”