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Spouse support, coping, and mood among individuals with cancer

  • Empirical Articles
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Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

A model of the relations between spouse support, coping, and positive and negative mood was examined with 221 individuals with cancer using LISREL analyses. A moderating effect for patient life expectancy was predicted for disease prognosis. Results indicated that spouse criticism was associated with negative mood indirectly through avoidant coping strategies, and spouse support was associated with positive mood indirectly through positively-focused coping. Results did not support a moderating influence for life expectancy upon the association between spouse behaviors and patient coping. The results of this study are discussed in terms of their implications for psychosocial interventions to reduce psychological distress among individuals with cancer.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fox Chase Cancer Center, 510 Township Line Road, 19012, Cheltenham, PA

    Sharon L. Manne

  2. City University of New York-Graduate Center, New York, USA

    Stephen J. Pape

  3. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA

    Kathryn L. Taylor & James Dougherty

Authors
  1. Sharon L. Manne
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  2. Stephen J. Pape
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  3. Kathryn L. Taylor
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  4. James Dougherty
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Additional information

Preparation of this manuscript was supported in part by National Cancer Institute First Award #57379 and Research Career Development Award #65727 to Sharon Manne.

We are grateful to Jennifer Keates, Amy Eisenberg, and Rachel Kless for collection of study data and to Marc Glassman, Ph. D., for statistical assistance.

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Manne, S.L., Pape, S.J., Taylor, K.L. et al. Spouse support, coping, and mood among individuals with cancer. ann. behav. med. 21, 111–121 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02908291

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