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

Abstract

When breast cancer is diagnosed, it has the potential to have an impact on a woman's partner and influence how the male partner can support the woman. This qualitative study was undertaken to explore the impact on male partners of having a wife who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. In-depth interviews with 15 husbands provided a rich sense of the nature of the impact and how these men responded to it. Analysis revealed two overarching themes: (1) the diagnosis was shocking and unexpected, and (2) the impact of breast cancer on the male partner is wide-ranging. The respondents described a wide range of changes that had occurred in their lives since the unexpected, shocking diagnosis. They shared vivid accounts of personal emotional reactions, changes in daily work life and household responsibilities, worries about children, and changes in their relationships with their wives. They experienced ongoing struggles to balance the demands within their lives. Two significant challenges these men described were coping with work-related demands and sorting out how to be supportive to their wives. Clearly, the breast cancer diagnosis had an impact on these men and created personal tension for them. Cancer nurses need to be aware of this impact, acknowledge the sense of vulnerability it can create in male partners, and work to find effective ways to support them.