Social constraints and spousal communication in lung cancer

The Social Cognitive Processing Model suggests that talking with others facilitates cognitive and emotional processing of experiences such as cancer if the social context in which these discussions take place is supportive and positive. Despite this, patients and spouses may inadvertently constrain each other's attempts to process and cope with the disease. To our knowledge, no previous studies have directly examined the effect of lung cancer on the spousal relationship. We began to examine this effect by identifying the social constraints experienced by couples coping with lung cancer through semi-structured interviews with 13 patients and 12 spouses. Using Grounded Theory methodology, our analyses showed that these couples experienced a wide variety of social constraints, including denial, avoidance, and conflict that can hinder open spousal communication. Specifically, patients and spouses reported trouble discussing continued tobacco use, cancer-related symptoms, prognosis, and the emotional effects of lung cancer on the spouse. Despite these constraints, participants who reported talking with their partners about their relationships reported fewer constraints and better communication about cancer. These findings highlight the importance of a relationship perspective in the study of lung cancer and provide information about how talking together about the spousal relationship may enable couples to minimize social constraints and enhance cognitive and emotional processing of the disease.