Cancer-related effects on relationships, long-term psychological status and relationship satisfaction in couples whose child was treated for leukemia: A PETALE study

OBJECTIVES: Follow-up studies suggest that the psychosocial impact of pediatric cancer on parents often extends beyond the end of their child’s cancer treatments, and parents can continue to experience both individual and relationship effects. In a long-term study of parents of children who were treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), we aimed to: 1) describe parents’ adjustment (psychological distress, relationship satisfaction; 2) describe the perceived impact of cancer on couples’ relationship, and; 3) identify to what extent the perceived impact of cancer on the couple is related to both parents’ long-term adjustment. METHODS: Parents of childhood ALL survivors (n = 103 couples) were surveyed as part of a cohort recall (PETALE cohort). Both parents completed questionnaires exploring adjustment (Brief Symptom Inventory-18, Dyadic Adjustment Scale) and perceived impact of cancer on the relationship (Impact of Cancer on the Couple). Mothers’ and fathers’ scores were compared using MANOVAs. We also examined the degree to which a parent’s perceived changes in relationship dynamics following their child’s cancer were associated with their own current adjustment (actor effects), and their partner’s current adjustment (partner effects) using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM). RESULTS: Frequencies of current distress were normative in parents (mothers/fathers): general distress (6.8/7.8%), anxiety (5.8/6.8%), depression (2.9/6.8%), somatization (13.6/9.7%), and relationship distress (21.4/20.4%). Mothers and fathers typically agreed on their reported relationship satisfaction, and the perceived nature of relationship changes following the illness. Dyadic analyses indicated that whereas mothers’ adjustment was related to their own perceived relationship changes, fathers’ adjustment was primarily related to their partner’s perceptions. CONCLUSION: In long-term stable couples, mothers may act as an influential bridge connecting the illness experiences of survivors and fathers. This could explain why mothers’ perceptions of relationship changes were related to their partners’ long-term adjustment, which was not the case for fathers.