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A longitudinal analysis of intimacy processes and psychological distress among couples coping with head and neck or lung cancers

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Abstract

Individuals diagnosed with lung and head and neck (HN) cancers and their spouses are at increased risk for distress. This study assessed whether the way couples communicate about cancer and their perceptions of relationship intimacy influenced both partners’ adjustment. One-hundred thirty-nine patients and their spouses [For purposes of clarity, we refer to the patients’ intimate partner as the spouse, regardless of actual marital status and we reserve the term partner to refer to the other person in the couple (i.e., the patient’s partner is the spouse and the spouse’s partner is the patient)] completed measures of spousal communication, intimacy, and distress at three time points over 6 months. Using multilevel modeling, an over-time actor-partner interdependence model was specified that examined whether intimacy mediated associations between one’s own and one’s partner’s reports of communication at baseline and later distress. Patients and spouses who reported greater baseline distress reported more negative baseline communication as well as lower levels of intimacy and greater distress over time. Mediation analyses showed patients’ and spouses’ reports of positive spousal communication were associated with less subsequent distress largely through their effects on intimacy. Clinicians working with head and neck or lung cancer patients should assess communication and intimacy because both impact couples’ distress.

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Notes

  1. Given the difference in age for the LC and HNC groups, we conducted a set of analyses examining whether age was a significant predictor in our models. Age was not a significant predictor of distress, and inclusion of age did not affect the results presented in Table 3. Although age did predict intimacy, its presence in the models did not change the pattern of results.

  2. It should be noted that, because there were no significant role differences, Fig. 3 depicts the results using the more generic terms “person” and “partner.”

  3. Mediational analyses were also conducted using the bootstrapping method described by Preacher and Hayes (2008) and conclusions were identical to those from the Sobel test.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by an Established Investigator in Cancer Prevention and Control Award to Sharon Manne by the NCI (K05 CA109008) and by a Cancer Prevention and Control Career Development Award by the NCI (K07 CA124668) to Hoda Badr.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Sharon Manne

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

    Hoda Badr

  3. Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Deborah A. Kashy

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  1. Sharon Manne
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  2. Hoda Badr
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  3. Deborah A. Kashy
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Correspondence to Sharon Manne.

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Manne, S., Badr, H. & Kashy, D.A. A longitudinal analysis of intimacy processes and psychological distress among couples coping with head and neck or lung cancers. J Behav Med 35, 334–346 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-011-9349-1

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