Relationship communication and the course of psychological outcomes among couples coping with localised prostate cancer

Objective How couples communicate about cancer is an important predictor of psychological outcomes for men diagnosed with localised prostate cancer and their spouses. We examined the predictive role of disclosure, responsiveness, mutual avoidance, and holding back on depressive symptoms, psychological adjustment, cancer-specific distress, and cancer concerns. Methods Eighty-one prostate cancer patients and their spouses completed measures of communication at baseline and measures of four psychological outcomes at baseline, five, 12, and 26 weeks after baseline. Dyadic growth models tested the effects of time and role on each outcome over time. Results Higher disclosure and responsiveness predicted better psychological outcomes. Less mutual avoidance and holding back predicted poorer psychological outcomes. Across communication variables, individuals who engaged in poorer communication initially had poorer psychological outcomes that improved over time, whereas individuals who engaged in better communication initially maintained their more positive standing without change or changed in the positive direction. For all outcomes, those with better communication still had better psychological outcomes at six months. Conclusion Couples' cancer-specific relationship communication predicts their psychological outcomes. More research is needed to identify effective interventions, including a longer therapy course, individual communication training, or greater focus on addressing barriers to sharing and responsiveness.

Automated summary

Communication between couples about cancer plays a significant role in predicting the psychological outcomes of men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer and their spouses. Higher levels of disclosure and responsiveness were found to predict better psychological outcomes, while lower levels of mutual avoidance and holding back were associated with poorer psychological outcomes. Individuals who initially engaged in poor communication showed improvement in their psychological outcomes over time, while those who initially engaged in better communication maintained their positive outcomes or improved further. Couples with better communication still had better psychological outcomes at six months. More research is needed to explore effective interventions for improving cancer-specific relationship communication.