We are in this together — Aren't we? Congruence of common dyadic coping and psychological distress of couples facing breast cancer

Abstract

Objectives Breast cancer (BC) can be understood as a we‐disease, which affects a couple as a unit and requires coping as a unit (eg, common dyadic coping, CDC). However, partners can be incongruent in their perceptions of CDC, for example, because of misunderstandings and lack of mutuality or conflict, which may likely be associated with greater distress. Thus, this paper examines the effect of CDC congruence on individual psychological distress in cancer patients and their partners. Methods Seventy mixed‐sex couples in which the woman had nonmetastatic BC completed self‐report questionnaires at 2 weeks, 3 months, and 1 year after cancer surgery. CDC congruence measured the difference between patients' and partners' CDC perceptions while controlling for CDC itself. Results Multilevel modeling showed negative associations between couples' CDC and psychological distress. Beyond this effect, female patients' psychological distress was associated with CDC congruence with an interaction showing that psychological distress was greater when couples were congruent with low rather than a high CDC. Conclusion Less congruence was associated with greater psychological distress in BC patients but not their male partners — especially if the couple reported low CDC. Health professionals should identify and address diverging perceptions, so that additional distress can be minimized for BC patients.

Quality of intimate relationships, dyadic coping, and psychological health in women with endometriosis: Results from an online survey

“…In our study, women who perceived their partner as more interested and actively involved in the management of endometriosis (for instance by accompanying them to the medical visits) reported greater relational satisfaction and better dyadic coping. Taken together, these findings highlighted the importance of coping strategies based on mutuality and we-ness ("we are in this together" [47]), which seem to be particularly helpful for women coping with different types of stressors (such as breast cancer [49]), as recently underlined by Rusu et al [50].…”

“…Specifically, our findings highlighted the correlation between positive dyadic coping -especially common dyadic coping (which occurs when both partners make efforts to cope together with a shared stressor) -and the mental health of women with endometriosis. The role played by common dyadic coping strategies in the context of clinical samples (including couples coping with diabetes, cancer, or psychological disorders such as depression) and its positive outcomes for couples, in terms of decreased distress and greater relational satisfaction, have been highlighted in previous studies [26,[45][46][47]. On the other hand, our study confirmed that negative dyadic coping (which entails responding with hostility, sarcasm, distancing, superficiality, or ambivalence to the partner's signals of stress) is associated with poorer psychological health in people with chronic illness, as previously demonstrated by other authors [25].…”

Relationship Dynamics among Couples Dealing with Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review

“…Different areas of relationship characterize the dyadic process of psychological adaptation to breast cancer. The deployment of shared coping strategies, defined as joining forces to face the problem, and the availability of instrumental and emotional support have been frequently mentioned in the studies [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ]. In regard to coping strategies, couples who adopt common dyadic coping strategies, consisting of the attempt of one member of the dyad to reduce the stress perceived by the other member and as a common effort to cope with the situation, report less psychological distress [ 38 ] and high levels of adaptation to the pathology [ 32 ].…”

“…The deployment of shared coping strategies, defined as joining forces to face the problem, and the availability of instrumental and emotional support have been frequently mentioned in the studies [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ]. In regard to coping strategies, couples who adopt common dyadic coping strategies, consisting of the attempt of one member of the dyad to reduce the stress perceived by the other member and as a common effort to cope with the situation, report less psychological distress [ 38 ] and high levels of adaptation to the pathology [ 32 ]. In this context, a crucial role is played by the merging strengths [ 33 ] that are defined as the capability of the couple to join efforts and collaborate to face the challenges of the diagnosis (e.g., walking together, searching for information and support networks, trusting together, staying together).…”

Disability as an Interpersonal Experience: A Systematic Review on Dyadic Challenges and Dyadic Coping When One Partner Has a Chronic Physical or Sensory Impairment

“…In the context of chronic health impairments, systematic reviews similarly show that conjoint dyadic coping is consistently associated with good relationship functioning (Traa et al, 2015). In couples coping with the wife's breast cancer, higher CDC was associated with higher relationship quality and fewer depressive symptoms in both patients and partners (Rottmann et al, 2015) and with lower psychological distress in partners (Meier et al, 2019). In couples coping with diabetes, CDC was related to patients' adherence to dietary and exercise regimens which is vital to avoid serious complications (Johnson et al, 2013).…”