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Quality of life in partners of patients with cancer

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Abstract

Objectives

Cancer affects patients’ quality of life (QOL) but might also influence their partners’ QOL. We investigated QOL in partners of patients with different cancer types and examined potential predictors of partners’ QOL.

Methods

Three hundred seventy-three partners completed the SF-36 QOL questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, t-tests and linear regressions were performed. Potential predictors of partners’ QOL included sociodemographic (sex, age, income), psychosocial (social support, quality of partner relationship, patient’s QOL) and clinical variables (tumour stage, treatment, time since diagnosis).

Results

Male partners reported better QOL than female partners on most SF-36 subscales. Both male and female partners reported significantly lower mental QOL than the norm population. Higher quality of the relationship predicted higher mental QOL in partners of patients with cancers of digestive organs (P = 0.039) and breast cancer patients’ partners (P = 0.001). Higher mental QOL of the patient predicted higher physical (P = 0.012) and mental QOL (P = 0.011) in partners of breast cancer patients. For partners of patients with cancers of the male genital organs, none of the variables in the model was of predictive value.

Conclusion

Mental, rather than physical, QOL of partners was impaired. Stage and other clinical variables of the patient did not influence partners’ mental or physical QOL.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge all patients and their partners who participated in this study. Recruitment of patients and partners took place in the following rehabilitation clinics: Rehabilitationsklinik Nordfriesland, St. Peter-Ording, Fachklinik für onkologische Rehabilitation, Lehmrade, Rehabilitationsklinik Sonneneck, Wyk auf Föhr, MEDIAN-Klinik Wismar and Rehabilitationsklinik Schloss Schönhagen, Brodersby. The following were key figures in recruitment of participants and data collection: Prof. Jürgen Barth, MD; Manfred Gaspar, MA; Sima Ghalehie; Klaus Günzel, MD; Cornelia C. Kaufmann, MD; Ursula Kiehne, MD; Martin Rotsch, MD; Renate Schmidt; Monika Steimann, MD; Hansjürgen Welk, MD. This study was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (promotional reference: 01GD0110).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, S 35, 20246, Hamburg, Germany

    Corinna Bergelt, Uwe Koch & Corinna Petersen

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  1. Corinna Bergelt
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  2. Uwe Koch
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  3. Corinna Petersen
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Correspondence to Corinna Bergelt.

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Bergelt, C., Koch, U. & Petersen, C. Quality of life in partners of patients with cancer. Qual Life Res 17, 653–663 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-008-9349-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-008-9349-y

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