Lung Cancer Patients and Their Spouses: Psychological and Relationship Functioning Within 1 Month of Treatment Initiation

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer morbidity and mortality may increase the risk for distress in couples facing this malignancy. PURPOSE: We examined the prevalence of psychological and relationship distress in lung cancer patients and their spouses, predictors of psychological distress for both, and whether relationship satisfaction moderated the relation between patient and spouse distress. METHODS: Participants (169 patients and 167 spouses) completed questionnaires provided during clinic appointments at baseline (within one month of treatment initiation) and through the mail 3 and 6 months later. Analyses were from the baseline data. RESULTS: In total, 34.6% of patients and 36.4% of spouses reported psychological distress. Patient and spouse distress were correlated, depending on the symptom examined. Only 10.9% of patients and 14.1% of spouses reported distressed spousal relationships. Distress predictors for patients included less positive social interaction support, more behavioral disengagement and self-distraction coping, and the spouse reporting less use of humor for coping. Predictors for spouses included more behavioral disengagement and substance use coping, more blaming the patient for causing the cancer, and the patient using more behavioral disengagement coping. Relationship satisfaction moderated the association between each partner's distress. CONCLUSIONS: Psychosocial counseling for lung cancer patients should include spouses and target decreasing individual distress and enhancing relationship satisfaction.