Optimism and family resilience in cancer patient-partner dyads: A prospective study

Cancer often affects both patients and their partners. This prospective study aims to examine the role of optimism and family resilience in well-being and relationship quality in a sample of oncology patients and their partners. This longitudinal study included 96 cancer patients (N=48, M=56.56 years) and their partners (N=48, M=55.66 years). Data were collected using self-report scales measuring demographic characteristics, optimism (GrLOT-R), family resilience (WFRQ), well-being (PERMA Profiler), and relationship quality (QMI). The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) was applied using the APIM_SEM web application to analyze dyadic relationships. In most cases, optimism and family resilience in both patients and their partners were positively associated with individual well-being and relationship quality. Patient family resilience was positively correlated with their partner’s well-being, whereas a negative relationship was observed between partner family resilience and patient well-being. Optimism had no dyadic effect on well-being or relationship quality. These findings highlight that family resilience, especially, contributes positively to well-being and relationship quality at both individual and interpersonal levels, even amid critical life events such as cancer. Future research could further explore the role of optimism, the role of partners, gender roles, or illness representations to clarify the observed differences between patients and their partners.