Couple-Based Communication Interventions for Cancer Patient-Spousal Caregiver Dyads' Psychosocial Adaptation to Cancer: A Systematic Review

(1) Background: Effective communication among couples in which one has been diagnosed with cancer is critical to improve their psychosocial adaptation to cancer. The objective of this review was to explore the characteristics and measurement outcomes of existing couple-based communication interventions in the cancer context. (2) Methods: Eight electronic databases were searched from database initiation to August 2022 to identify eligible articles. Hand searching was also performed on the included articles' reference lists and authors. (3) Results: A total of 14 intervention studies were eligible to be included in this review. Cancer couples with distress or communication problems before intervention were more likely to benefit from the couple-based communication interventions. Positive outcomes were reported, including an improvement in relationship functioning (including mutual communication, intimacy, and relationship satisfaction) and individual functioning (including a decline of anxiety, depression and cancer-related concerns, and an increase in psychological adjustment and quality of life). (4) Conclusions: These findings supported the importance of improving mutual communication behaviors to promote cancer patient-spousal caregiver dyads' psychosocial adaptation to cancer. While most included studies were conducted in western countries and the sample size was relatively small, more research is warranted to develop more efficacious couple-based communication interventions.

Automated summary

This review aimed to explore the characteristics and outcomes of couple-based communication interventions in the context of cancer. The findings suggested that cancer couples with distress or communication problems before intervention were more likely to benefit from these interventions. Positive outcomes were reported in terms of relationship and individual functioning. These findings highlight the importance of improving mutual communication behaviors to enhance psychosocial adaptation to cancer, and further research is needed to develop more efficacious interventions.