Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2013 Aug;22(8):1688-704.
doi: 10.1002/pon.3200. Epub 2012 Oct 9.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of psychosocial interventions for couples coping with cancer

Hoda Badr  1 , Paul Krebs
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

A systematic review and meta-analysis of psychosocial interventions for couples coping with cancer

Hoda Badr et al. Psychooncology. 2013 Aug.

Abstract

Objective: Quality of life (QOL) is a multidimensional construct that includes physical, psychological, and relationship well-being.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies published between 1980 and 2012 of interventions conducted with both cancer patients and their partners that were aimed at improving QOL. Using bibliographic software and manual review, two independent raters reviewed 752 articles with a systematic process for reconciling disagreement, yielding 23 articles for systematic review and 20 for meta-analysis.

Results: Most studies were conducted in breast and prostate cancer populations. Study participants (N = 2645) were primarily middle aged (mean = 55 years old) and white (84%). For patients, the weighted average effect size (g) across studies was 0.25 (95% CI = 0.12-0.32) for psychological outcomes (17 studies), 0.31 (95% CI = 0.11-0.50) for physical outcomes (12 studies), and 0.28 (95% CI = 0.14-0.43) for relationship outcomes (10 studies). For partners, the weighted average effect size was 0.21 (95% CI = 0.08-0.34) for psychological outcomes (12 studies) and 0.24 (95% CI = 0.6-0.43) for relationship outcomes (7 studies).

Conclusion: Therefore, couple-based interventions had small but beneficial effects in terms of improving multiple aspects of QOL for both patients and their partners. Questions remain regarding when such interventions should be delivered and for how long. Identifying theoretically based mediators and key features that distinguish couple-based from patient-only interventions may help strengthen their effects on patient and partner QOL.

Keywords: behavior; cancer; couples; distress; interventions; meta-analysis; quality of life; randomized-control trial; relationship satisfaction; systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Flow Diagram Depicting the Systematic Review Process
Figure 2
Figure 2. Forest Plots of Patient and Partner Effect Sizes and 95% Confidence Intervals
Figure 3
Figure 3. Funnel Plots of Patient and Partner Outcomes
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Manne S, Badr H. Intimacy and relationship processes in couples' psychosocial adaptation to cancer. Cancer. 2008;112(11 Suppl):2541–2555. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pistrang N, Barker C. The partner relationship in psychological response to breast cancer. Soc Sci Med. 1995;40:789–797. - PubMed
    1. Carlson L, Bultz B, Speca M, St, Pierre M. Partners of cancer patients: Part 1. Impact, adjustment, and coping across the illness trajectory. J Psychosoc Oncol. 2000;18:39–57.
    1. Manne S, Badr H. Social relationships and cancer. In: Davila J, Sullivan K, editors. Support processes in intimate relationships. Oxford Press; 2010. pp. 240–264.
    1. Baider L, Kaufman B, Peretz T, Manor O, Ever-Hadani P, Kaplan De-Nour A. Mutuality of fate: Adaptation and psychological distress in cancer patients and their partners. In: Baider L, Cooper C, Kaplan De-Nour A, editors. Cancer in the family. Chichester: Wiley; 1996. pp. 173–186.

Publication types