Abstract
Introduction: Breast and prostate cancer have a high survival rate but the stress of undergoing a cancer biopsy for both the patient and their romantic partner (i.e., a dyad) can put individuals at risk for persistent adverse psychological outcomes and influence the relationship. Little is known about how these processes are influenced throughout the cancer continuum for each dyad member.
Methods: This study aimed to conduct a secondary analysis of previously collected data in couples who received a malignant biopsy result for breast or prostate cancer compared to those who received a benign result. Dyads completed self-report measures of relationship quality, sexual interest, and psychological adjustment (satisfaction with life, depression) at the time of biopsy, 1-, 6-, and 9-months post-biopsy. The present study examined changes over time of these constructs from biopsy over 9-months using Hierarchical Linear Modeling. Using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, we also tested for actor and partner effects in patients and their partners among the same constructs.
Results: Aim 1 results indicated that dyads in which the patient underwent a breast biopsy experienced worse psychological adjustment compared to dyads in which the patient underwent a prostate biopsy. Findings also revealed that dyads did not significantly differ in any of the outcome variables over time based on biopsy result. Aim 2 analyses revealed significant actor effects for both dyad members at each timepoint. Among all dyads, partner effects were significant for relationship quality and sexual interest at some of the timepoints but not for psychological adjustment.
Discussion: The study provides insight into how relationship quality, sexual interest, and psychological adjustment evolve over time in patient-partner dyads, from time of cancer biopsy to 9-months post-biopsy. These findings contribute to the ways in which we understand the cancer continuum, by focusing on the time of biopsy and the period following disclosure of results, from the vantage point of patients and their partners.