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. 2008 Sep;27(5):616-27.
doi: 10.1037/0278-6133.27.5.616.

Effects of relationship maintenance on psychological distress and dyadic adjustment among couples coping with lung cancer

Hoda Badr  1 , Cindy L Carmack Taylor
Affiliations

Effects of relationship maintenance on psychological distress and dyadic adjustment among couples coping with lung cancer

Hoda Badr et al. Health Psychol. 2008 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: Relationship maintenance strategies help to ensure the continuation of valued relationships by keeping them at a certain level of intimacy. This study evaluated how lung cancer patients' and spouses' efforts to maintain their relationships affected their psychological and marital adjustment over time.

Design: Psychosocial questionnaires were administered within 1 month of lung cancer treatment initiation (baseline) and 3 and 6 months later to 158 lung cancer patients and their spouses.

Main outcome measures: Study outcomes were global severity index scores on the Brief Symptom Inventory, and total scores on the Dyadic Adjustment Scale.

Results: Multilevel modeling analyses using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model showed that, regardless of gender or social role (i.e., patient or spouse), individuals who engaged in the strategies of positivity, networks, and shared tasks reported less distress at baseline than other participants. Over time, the effects of providing more assurances and experiencing a partner's increased reliance on social networks differed: patient distress was exacerbated, and spouse distress was alleviated. Couples where both partners engaged in more frequent maintenance behaviors reported greater dyadic adjustment at baseline and over time.

Conclusion: For couples coping with lung cancer, the initial treatment period may be an important time that sets the tone for future spousal interactions. Engaging in relationship maintenance during this stressful time may help mold more resilient relationships and facilitate adjustment as the disease progresses.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Results of APIM baseline analysis regressing BSI GSI scores on patient and spouse self-reports of positivity, social networks, and shared tasks. Note: **p≤.01, *p≤.05 Unless otherwise specified (i.e., r=correlation, e=error term), model coefficients for the actor and partner effects of engaging in different relationship maintenance strategies on psychological distress for both patients and spouses are presented.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Results of APIM baseline analysis regressing DAS scores on patient and spouse self-reports of relational maintenance. Note: **p≤.01, *p≤.05 Unless otherwise specified (i.e., r=correlation, e=error term), figure 2 presents the model coefficients for the actor and partner effects of engaging in different relationship maintenance strategies on dyadic adjustment for both patients and spouses.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Cancer Society. (2007). Cancer Facts & Figures 2007. Atlanta: American Cancer Society.
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