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Cancer-related communication, relationship intimacy, and psychological distress among couples coping with localized prostate cancer

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Abstract

Introduction

The present study evaluated intimacy as a mechanism for the effects of relationship-enhancing (self-disclosure, mutual constructive communication) and relationship-compromising communication (holding back, mutual avoidance, and demand-withdraw communication) on couples’ psychological distress.

Methods

Seventy-five men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer in the past year and their partners completed surveys about communication, intimacy, and distress.

Results

Multi-level models with the couple as unit of analyses indicated that the association between mutual constructive communication, mutual avoidance, and patient demand-partner withdraw and distress could be accounted for by their influence on relationship intimacy. Intimacy did not mediate associations between self-disclosure, holding back, and partner demand-patient withdraw communication and distress.

Discussion/conclusions

These findings indicate that the way in which couples talk about cancer-related concerns as well as the degree to which one or both partners avoid talking about cancer-related concerns can either facilitate or reduce relationship intimacy, and that it is largely by this mechanism that these three communication strategies impact psychological distress.

Implications for cancer survivors

Relationship intimacy and how patients and partners communicate to achieve this intimacy is important for the psychological adjustment of early stage prostate cancer survivors and their partners.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by an Established Investigator in Cancer Prevention and Control Award to Sharon Manne by the NCI (K05 CA109008), a Cancer Prevention and Control Career Development Award by the NCI (K07 CA124668) to Hoda Badr, a Memorial Sloan Kettering Society grant to David Kissane, and by a P30 CA006927 grant to Fox Chase Cancer Center. We would like to acknowledge the assistance of Drs. John Mulhall, Eric Horwitz, Richard Greenberg, David Chen, James Easton, Robert Uzzo, and Alan Pollack for allowing access to their patients for this study. Jennifer Burden, Megan Eisenberg, Kristen Sorice, and Sara Worhach collected study data. Maryann Krayger provided technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fox Chase Cancer Center, Cancer Prevention and Control, Cheltenham, PA, USA

    Sharon Manne

  2. Oncological Sciences, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Hoda Badr

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Talia Zaider, Christian Nelson & David Kissane

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  1. Sharon Manne
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  2. Hoda Badr
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  3. Talia Zaider
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  4. Christian Nelson
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  5. David Kissane
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Correspondence to Sharon Manne.

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Manne, S., Badr, H., Zaider, T. et al. Cancer-related communication, relationship intimacy, and psychological distress among couples coping with localized prostate cancer. J Cancer Surviv 4, 74–85 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-009-0109-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-009-0109-y

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