Is perceived family support a relevant variable in psychological distress? A sample of prostate and breast cancer couples

Objective: In this cross-sectional pilot study of couples in whom the man was diagnosed with prostate cancer or the woman with breast cancer, the purpose was to identify and compare the variables that characterize couples where both spouses are in high psychological distress with couples where the psychological distress of both spouses is within the normal range. Methods: Psychological distress and perception of family support in 574 individuals (118 consecutive prostate cancer patients and their spouses. and 169 randomly selected breast cancer patients and their spouses) were assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and the Perceived Family Support (PFS) self-report questionnaires. Results: Couples experiencing high psychological distress reported lower levels of perceived family support than couples in whom both spouses reported normal levels of psychological distress. Conclusion: The findings support the notion that perceived family support is associated with the psychological distress in both patients and spouses. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.