Cargando…
Links Between Communication and Relationship Satisfaction Among Patients With Cancer and Their Spouses: Results of a Fourteen-Day Smartphone-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment Study
Cancer treatment poses significant challenges not just for those diagnosed with the disease but also for their intimate partners. Evidence suggests that couples' communication plays a major role in the adjustment of both individuals and in the quality of their relationship. Most descriptive stu...
Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
---|---|
Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2018
|
Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6191515/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30364167 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01843 |
_version_ | 1783363732439564288 |
---|---|
author | Langer, Shelby L. Romano, Joan M. Todd, Michael Strauman, Timothy J. Keefe, Francis J. Syrjala, Karen L. Bricker, Jonathan B. Ghosh, Neeta Burns, John W. Bolger, Niall Puleo, Blair K. Gralow, Julie R. Shankaran, Veena Westbrook, Kelly Zafar, S. Yousuf Porter, Laura S. |
author_facet | Langer, Shelby L. Romano, Joan M. Todd, Michael Strauman, Timothy J. Keefe, Francis J. Syrjala, Karen L. Bricker, Jonathan B. Ghosh, Neeta Burns, John W. Bolger, Niall Puleo, Blair K. Gralow, Julie R. Shankaran, Veena Westbrook, Kelly Zafar, S. Yousuf Porter, Laura S. |
author_sort | Langer, Shelby L. |
collection | PubMed |
description | Cancer treatment poses significant challenges not just for those diagnosed with the disease but also for their intimate partners. Evidence suggests that couples' communication plays a major role in the adjustment of both individuals and in the quality of their relationship. Most descriptive studies linking communication to adjustment have relied on traditional questionnaire methodologies and cross-sectional designs, limiting external validity and discernment of temporal patterns. Using the systemic-transactional model of dyadic coping as a framework, we examined intra- and inter-personal associations between communication (both enacted and perceived) and relationship satisfaction (RS) among patients with stage II–IV breast or colorectal cancer and their spouses (N = 107 couples). Participants (mean age = 51, 64.5% female patients, and 37.4% female spouses) independently completed twice-daily ecological momentary assessments (EMA) via smartphone for 14 consecutive days. Items assessed RS and communication (expression of feelings, holding back from expression, support and criticism of partner, and parallel ratings of partner behavior). Linear mixed models employing an Actor Partner Interdependence Model were used to examine concurrent, time-lagged, and cross-lagged associations between communication and RS. Expressing one's feelings was unassociated with RS. Holding back from doing so, in contrast, was associated with lower RS for both patients and spouses in concurrent models. These effects were both intrapersonal and interpersonal, meaning that when individuals held back from expressing their feelings, they reported lower RS and so too did their partner. Giving and receiving support were associated with one's own higher RS for both patients and spouses in concurrent models, and for patients in lagged models. Conversely, criticizing one's partner and feeling criticized were maladaptive, associated with lower RS (own and in some cases, partner's). Cross-lagged analyses (evening RS to next-day afternoon communication) yielded virtually no effects, suggesting that communication may have a stronger influence on short-term RS than the reverse. Findings underscore the importance of responsive communication, more so than expression per se, in explaining both concurrent and later relationship adjustment. In addition, a focus on holding back from expressing feelings may enhance the understanding of RS for couples coping with cancer. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-6191515 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2018 |
publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-61915152018-10-24 Links Between Communication and Relationship Satisfaction Among Patients With Cancer and Their Spouses: Results of a Fourteen-Day Smartphone-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment Study Langer, Shelby L. Romano, Joan M. Todd, Michael Strauman, Timothy J. Keefe, Francis J. Syrjala, Karen L. Bricker, Jonathan B. Ghosh, Neeta Burns, John W. Bolger, Niall Puleo, Blair K. Gralow, Julie R. Shankaran, Veena Westbrook, Kelly Zafar, S. Yousuf Porter, Laura S. Front Psychol Psychology Cancer treatment poses significant challenges not just for those diagnosed with the disease but also for their intimate partners. Evidence suggests that couples' communication plays a major role in the adjustment of both individuals and in the quality of their relationship. Most descriptive studies linking communication to adjustment have relied on traditional questionnaire methodologies and cross-sectional designs, limiting external validity and discernment of temporal patterns. Using the systemic-transactional model of dyadic coping as a framework, we examined intra- and inter-personal associations between communication (both enacted and perceived) and relationship satisfaction (RS) among patients with stage II–IV breast or colorectal cancer and their spouses (N = 107 couples). Participants (mean age = 51, 64.5% female patients, and 37.4% female spouses) independently completed twice-daily ecological momentary assessments (EMA) via smartphone for 14 consecutive days. Items assessed RS and communication (expression of feelings, holding back from expression, support and criticism of partner, and parallel ratings of partner behavior). Linear mixed models employing an Actor Partner Interdependence Model were used to examine concurrent, time-lagged, and cross-lagged associations between communication and RS. Expressing one's feelings was unassociated with RS. Holding back from doing so, in contrast, was associated with lower RS for both patients and spouses in concurrent models. These effects were both intrapersonal and interpersonal, meaning that when individuals held back from expressing their feelings, they reported lower RS and so too did their partner. Giving and receiving support were associated with one's own higher RS for both patients and spouses in concurrent models, and for patients in lagged models. Conversely, criticizing one's partner and feeling criticized were maladaptive, associated with lower RS (own and in some cases, partner's). Cross-lagged analyses (evening RS to next-day afternoon communication) yielded virtually no effects, suggesting that communication may have a stronger influence on short-term RS than the reverse. Findings underscore the importance of responsive communication, more so than expression per se, in explaining both concurrent and later relationship adjustment. In addition, a focus on holding back from expressing feelings may enhance the understanding of RS for couples coping with cancer. Frontiers Media S.A. 2018-10-10 /pmc/articles/PMC6191515/ /pubmed/30364167 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01843 Text en Copyright © 2018 Langer, Romano, Todd, Strauman, Keefe, Syrjala, Bricker, Ghosh, Burns, Bolger, Puleo, Gralow, Shankaran, Westbrook, Zafar and Porter. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
spellingShingle | Psychology Langer, Shelby L. Romano, Joan M. Todd, Michael Strauman, Timothy J. Keefe, Francis J. Syrjala, Karen L. Bricker, Jonathan B. Ghosh, Neeta Burns, John W. Bolger, Niall Puleo, Blair K. Gralow, Julie R. Shankaran, Veena Westbrook, Kelly Zafar, S. Yousuf Porter, Laura S. Links Between Communication and Relationship Satisfaction Among Patients With Cancer and Their Spouses: Results of a Fourteen-Day Smartphone-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment Study |
title | Links Between Communication and Relationship Satisfaction Among Patients With Cancer and Their Spouses: Results of a Fourteen-Day Smartphone-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment Study |
title_full | Links Between Communication and Relationship Satisfaction Among Patients With Cancer and Their Spouses: Results of a Fourteen-Day Smartphone-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment Study |
title_fullStr | Links Between Communication and Relationship Satisfaction Among Patients With Cancer and Their Spouses: Results of a Fourteen-Day Smartphone-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment Study |
title_full_unstemmed | Links Between Communication and Relationship Satisfaction Among Patients With Cancer and Their Spouses: Results of a Fourteen-Day Smartphone-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment Study |
title_short | Links Between Communication and Relationship Satisfaction Among Patients With Cancer and Their Spouses: Results of a Fourteen-Day Smartphone-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment Study |
title_sort | links between communication and relationship satisfaction among patients with cancer and their spouses: results of a fourteen-day smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment study |
topic | Psychology |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6191515/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30364167 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01843 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT langershelbyl linksbetweencommunicationandrelationshipsatisfactionamongpatientswithcancerandtheirspousesresultsofafourteendaysmartphonebasedecologicalmomentaryassessmentstudy AT romanojoanm linksbetweencommunicationandrelationshipsatisfactionamongpatientswithcancerandtheirspousesresultsofafourteendaysmartphonebasedecologicalmomentaryassessmentstudy AT toddmichael linksbetweencommunicationandrelationshipsatisfactionamongpatientswithcancerandtheirspousesresultsofafourteendaysmartphonebasedecologicalmomentaryassessmentstudy AT straumantimothyj linksbetweencommunicationandrelationshipsatisfactionamongpatientswithcancerandtheirspousesresultsofafourteendaysmartphonebasedecologicalmomentaryassessmentstudy AT keefefrancisj linksbetweencommunicationandrelationshipsatisfactionamongpatientswithcancerandtheirspousesresultsofafourteendaysmartphonebasedecologicalmomentaryassessmentstudy AT syrjalakarenl linksbetweencommunicationandrelationshipsatisfactionamongpatientswithcancerandtheirspousesresultsofafourteendaysmartphonebasedecologicalmomentaryassessmentstudy AT brickerjonathanb linksbetweencommunicationandrelationshipsatisfactionamongpatientswithcancerandtheirspousesresultsofafourteendaysmartphonebasedecologicalmomentaryassessmentstudy AT ghoshneeta linksbetweencommunicationandrelationshipsatisfactionamongpatientswithcancerandtheirspousesresultsofafourteendaysmartphonebasedecologicalmomentaryassessmentstudy AT burnsjohnw linksbetweencommunicationandrelationshipsatisfactionamongpatientswithcancerandtheirspousesresultsofafourteendaysmartphonebasedecologicalmomentaryassessmentstudy AT bolgerniall linksbetweencommunicationandrelationshipsatisfactionamongpatientswithcancerandtheirspousesresultsofafourteendaysmartphonebasedecologicalmomentaryassessmentstudy AT puleoblairk linksbetweencommunicationandrelationshipsatisfactionamongpatientswithcancerandtheirspousesresultsofafourteendaysmartphonebasedecologicalmomentaryassessmentstudy AT gralowjulier linksbetweencommunicationandrelationshipsatisfactionamongpatientswithcancerandtheirspousesresultsofafourteendaysmartphonebasedecologicalmomentaryassessmentstudy AT shankaranveena linksbetweencommunicationandrelationshipsatisfactionamongpatientswithcancerandtheirspousesresultsofafourteendaysmartphonebasedecologicalmomentaryassessmentstudy AT westbrookkelly linksbetweencommunicationandrelationshipsatisfactionamongpatientswithcancerandtheirspousesresultsofafourteendaysmartphonebasedecologicalmomentaryassessmentstudy AT zafarsyousuf linksbetweencommunicationandrelationshipsatisfactionamongpatientswithcancerandtheirspousesresultsofafourteendaysmartphonebasedecologicalmomentaryassessmentstudy AT porterlauras linksbetweencommunicationandrelationshipsatisfactionamongpatientswithcancerandtheirspousesresultsofafourteendaysmartphonebasedecologicalmomentaryassessmentstudy |