Marital attachment and adjustment in older couples coping with cancer

In this paper, we examine the role of marital attachment in how older couples adjust to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Cancer poses a threat to the existence of the attachment bond and activates the attachment system. We hypothesized that those spouses with more secure attachment styles would report better adjustment, i.e. higher marital satisfaction, fewer depressive symptoms, and better perceived health. This study is based on cross-sectional data on 50 couples, 28 couples with cancer and 22 community control couples. We assessed marital attachment using the Rochester Attachment Interview and the Rochester Attachment Coding System. We hypothesized that attachment style would be more salient in cancer couples, i.e. that cancer would act as a moderating variable. We found that secure attachment in wives was associated with higher marital satisfaction for husbands and wives and greater perceived health for wives with no significant interaction effect. The association of husbands' attachment style was moderated by the presence of cancer. The secure attachment of husbands in cancer couples was associated with poorer adjustment for wives: higher depressive symptoms and lower perceived health for wives. We discuss the theoretical and clinical implications of our findings.