Stress Buffering Effects of Daily Spousal Support on Women's Daily Emotional and Physical Experiences in the Context of Breast Cancer Concerns

Objective: This study examined whether the relationship between daily spousal support and daily psychological and physical outcomes varied as a function of level of breast cancer related concern (stress buffering model). Design: Ninety-five women with early stage breast cancer completed daily reports of emotional and physical experiences and satisfaction with spousal support for 30 days. Women also rated problems dealing with three types of cancer specific concerns: emotional, physical, and social. Main outcome measures: Women's positive and negative affect and cancer related pain and fatigue. Results: Multilevel analyses supported a stress buffering effect for social concerns and a reverse stress buffering effect for emotional and physical concerns. Conclusion: Daily spousal support appears to be an important contributor to the daily emotional and physical wellbeing of women with breast cancer. Contrary to the tenets of the stress buffering model, these data suggest that the buffering effect of spousal support is attenuated when breast cancer related emotional and physical concerns reach high levels.