Psychological predictors of marital adjustment in breast cancer patients

The present research consists of two studies examining the psychological predictors of marital adjustment in Chinese breast cancer patients and their husbands in Hong Kong. In Study 1, measures of marital adjustment, body image, dyadic perspective-taking and perception of partner's dyadic perspective-taking were administered to a sample of 86 breast cancer patients and 46 husbands of these patients. In Study 2, semi-structured interviews were conducted as a supplement of Study 1. Results showed that four psychological variables were found to be significantly associated with the breast cancer patients' marital adjustment, namely the patients' self perspective-taking and the patients' perception of their husbands' perspective-taking, the husbands' perception of partners' perspective-taking and the husbands' perception of their wives' physical appearance. Moreover, two psychological variables were found to be associated with the husbands' marital adjustment, namely the husbands' self perspective-taking and their psychological distress.