Hoda Badr

Sexual dysfunction and spousal communication in couples coping with prostate cancer

Objective: To characterize the sexual function of both prostate cancer patients and their partners, and to examine whether associations between sexual dysfunction and psychosocial adjustment vary depending on spousal communication patterns.

Does couple identity mediate the stress experienced by caregiving spouses

For caregivers, the stress process is multifaceted, involving primary stressors, which stem directly from the needs of the patient, and secondary stressors, which relate to the subjective burden of caregiving. According to stress proliferation theories, both primary and secondary stressors can exacerbate caregiver distress. However, individuals vary considerably in their reactions to caregiving. This study explored whether seeing oneself as part of a couple and incorporating ones relationship into ones self-concept (couple identity) alleviates the negative effects of primary and secondary stressors on caregiver mental health. The sample comprised 92 healthy spouses who had been caregiving for a partner with a chronic physical illness for an average of 5.9 years. Results showed that couple identity partially mediated the effects of negative primary (i.e., relational deprivation and overload) and secondary (i.e., loss of self and captivity) role stressors, and fully mediated the effects of positive secondary role stressors (i.e., caregiver self-esteem and competence) on caregiver mental health. Viewing the relationship as an extension of oneself, or high levels of couple identity, may thus help to minimize the negative effects and maximize the positive effects of the caregiving experience on caregiver mental health.

Dyadic adjustment in chronic illness: does relationship talk matter?

Relationship talk involves talking about the nature and state of ones relationship. To determine the effectiveness of talking about the relationship when one spouse has a chronic illness, the study involved completion of a confidential questionnaire by 182 married couples. Ninety of these were couples in which both partners were healthy, and 92 were couples in which one spouse had a chronic illness. Results of multilevel modeling analyses showed that the association between relationship talk and dyadic adjustment was stronger for women than for men and for couples with an ill spouse than for couples where both spouses were healthy. These findings highlight the importance of taking a relationship perspective and suggest that relationship talk is a potentially useful tool couples can use in their repertoire of relationship-enhancing behaviors during chronic illness.

Family Communication During the Cancer Experience

The family is often the primary support unit for the cancer patient. We are beginning to understand the impact of a cancer diagnosis on the family, but we are still far from understanding the complex process of how and why information is communicated within families during and after a cancer diagnosis. As survival rates increase and treatments become more complex, understanding how to improve communication processes within the family will become even more vital to supporting families and improving patient outcomes. In this article, we present the results of a 2-hour working group convened during a cancer communications workshop held at the 2008 Society of Behavioral Medicine meeting. During the session, an interdisciplinary group of investigators met and discussed the current state of the science with respect to familial communication during the cancer experience. We focused our discussion on four general areas: current state of the research, theoretical perspectives, methodological perspectives, and areas for future research and intervention in order to understand family communication in this context. Currently, most research has focused on couples and caregivers, mainly in the context of breast cancer. More research is needed into a wider array of cancers and expanding our theoretical foundations into understanding communication between other family members and approaching the family as a unit. Finally, we conclude with recommendations for three content areas to focus future research and intervention development efforts, namely, (1) familial life course, (2) technological advances, and (3) changing structure of the family.

Attachment Insecurity and Perceptions of Housework: Associations With Marital Well-Being

This exploratory study examines the interactive effects of attachment insecurity and perceptions of housework on 2 dimensions of marital well-being--satisfaction and perceptions of fairness. Participants were 148 married couples obtained from an area probability sample as part of a larger study. Multilevel modeling analyses with the couple as the unit of analysis showed that women who scored high and men who scored low on the dimension of attachment anxiety and reported that their spouses performed more routine housework (i.e., prepares meals) also reported being over-benefited. Women who scored high and men who scored low on the dimension of attachment avoidance and reported that their spouses performed more intermittent housework (i.e., yard work) reported greater marital satisfaction. These results highlight the role of attachment orientations in explaining why perceptions of housework may have more or less prominent effects on marital well-being.