BACKGROUND: Metastatic breast cancer patients experience significance distress. Although talking with close others about cancer-related concerns may help to alleviate distress, patients often avoid such discussions, and their partners can engage in social constraints that may limit subsequent patient disclosures and exacerbate distress. PURPOSE: We examined how partner constraints unfold, how they influence patient affect, and whether they exacerbate patient avoidance of cancer-related disclosures. METHODS: Fifty-four patients and 48 of their partners completed electronic diary assessments for 14 days. RESULTS: Partners' social constraints carried over from one day to the next, but patients' avoidance of discussing cancer-related concerns did not. When partners engaged in more social constraints one day, patients reported greater negative affect the following day (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Findings suggest a temporal link between partner constraints and patient momentary affect. Helping partners to become aware of their constraining behaviors and teaching them skills to overcome this may facilitate patient adjustment to metastatic breast cancer.
BACKGROUND: Metastatic breast cancerpatients experience significance distress. Although talking with close others about cancer-related concerns may help to alleviate distress, patients often avoid such discussions, and their partners can engage in social constraints that may limit subsequent patient disclosures and exacerbate distress. PURPOSE: We examined how partner constraints unfold, how they influence patient affect, and whether they exacerbate patient avoidance of cancer-related disclosures. METHODS: Fifty-four patients and 48 of their partners completed electronic diary assessments for 14 days. RESULTS: Partners' social constraints carried over from one day to the next, but patients' avoidance of discussing cancer-related concerns did not. When partners engaged in more social constraints one day, patients reported greater negative affect the following day (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Findings suggest a temporal link between partner constraints and patient momentary affect. Helping partners to become aware of their constraining behaviors and teaching them skills to overcome this may facilitate patient adjustment to metastatic breast cancer.
Authors: Andrea A Cohee; Rebecca N Adams; Betsy L Fife; Diane M Von Ah; Patrick O Monahan; Kathleen A Zoppi; David Cella; Victoria L Champion Journal: Oncol Nurs Forum Date: 2017-01-01 Impact factor: 2.172
Authors: Dana Ketcher; Casidee Thompson; Amy K Otto; Maija Reblin; Kristin G Cloyes; Margaret F Clayton; Brian R W Baucom; Lee Ellington Journal: Palliat Med Date: 2020-11-21 Impact factor: 4.762
Authors: Shelby L Langer; Joan M Romano; Michael Todd; Timothy J Strauman; Francis J Keefe; Karen L Syrjala; Jonathan B Bricker; Neeta Ghosh; John W Burns; Niall Bolger; Blair K Puleo; Julie R Gralow; Veena Shankaran; Kelly Westbrook; S Yousuf Zafar; Laura S Porter Journal: Front Psychol Date: 2018-10-10