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Lung Cancer Patients and Their Spouses: Psychological and Relationship Functioning Within 1 Month of Treatment Initiation

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Background

Lung cancer morbidity and mortality may increase the risk for distress in couples facing this malignancy.

Purpose

We examined the prevalence of psychological and relationship distress in lung cancer patients and their spouses, predictors of psychological distress for both, and whether relationship satisfaction moderated the relation between patient and spouse distress.

Methods

Participants (169 patients and 167 spouses) completed questionnaires provided during clinic appointments at baseline (within one month of treatment initiation) and through the mail 3 and 6 months later. Analyses were from the baseline data.

Results

In total, 34.6% of patients and 36.4% of spouses reported psychological distress. Patient and spouse distress were correlated, depending on the symptom examined. Only 10.9% of patients and 14.1% of spouses reported distressed spousal relationships. Distress predictors for patients included less positive social interaction support, more behavioral disengagement and self-distraction coping, and the spouse reporting less use of humor for coping. Predictors for spouses included more behavioral disengagement and substance use coping, more blaming the patient for causing the cancer, and the patient using more behavioral disengagement coping. Relationship satisfaction moderated the association between each partner’s distress.

Conclusions

Psychosocial counseling for lung cancer patients should include spouses and target decreasing individual distress and enhancing relationship satisfaction.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Behavioral Science Unit 1330, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 301439, Houston, TX, 77230-1439, USA

    Cindy L. Carmack Taylor Ph.D., Hoda Badr Ph.D., Ji H. Lee B.A., Ellen R. Gritz Ph.D. & Leslie Schover Ph.D.

  2. Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Frank Fossella M.D. & Katherine Pisters M.D.

Authors
  1. Cindy L. Carmack Taylor Ph.D.
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  2. Hoda Badr Ph.D.
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  3. Ji H. Lee B.A.
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  4. Frank Fossella M.D.
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  5. Katherine Pisters M.D.
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  6. Ellen R. Gritz Ph.D.
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  7. Leslie Schover Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cindy L. Carmack Taylor Ph.D..

Additional information

This research was funded by a grant from the National Cancer Institute (1 R03-CA96462-01) to Cindy L. Carmack Taylor, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, and in part by a cancer prevention fellowship to Hoda Badr, Ph.D., funded through National Cancer Institute (NCI) grant R25 CA57730 (Robert M. Chamberlain, Ph.D., Principal Investigator).

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Carmack Taylor, C.L., Badr, H., Lee, J.H. et al. Lung Cancer Patients and Their Spouses: Psychological and Relationship Functioning Within 1 Month of Treatment Initiation. ann. behav. med. 36, 129–140 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-008-9062-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-008-9062-7

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