Cancer stresses partners as well as survivors

Wed Apr 18, 2007 1:27PM EDT
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The spouses and partners of cancer survivors experience emotional stress comparable to that seen in the patients themselves, and the long-term social costs may actually be greater, new research suggests.
"These findings highlight the importance of addressing the needs of family members who care for cancer patients, and who may be suffering in silence," lead author Dr. Michelle M. Bishop, from the University of Florida in Gainesville, said in a statement. "We need to acknowledge that cancer occurs in the context of a family that is profoundly affected by the experience, and that needs intervention for their own well-being."
The findings, which appear in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, are based on a study of 177 survivor-partner pairs and 133 partner pairs unaffected by cancer. All of the cancer survivors had undergone stem cell transplants. Emotional and physical health was assessed using standard measures an average of 6.7 years after transplantation.
As anticipated, physical health was better in the partners of the cancer survivors, and it was similar to that reported by the control subjects, the findings indicate.
Cancer survivors also had worse mental functioning than their partners and the control subjects. However, partners of the survivors had worse mental functioning compared with the control subjects. The same pattern was seen for levels of fatigue, often a sign of depression. Depressive symptoms, sleep problems and sexual difficulties were also more common in partners of cancer survivors than in the control subjects.
Depression was more likely to be addressed in survivors than in their partners, the authors note. Moreover, compared with the cancer survivors and controls, partners of survivors reported they had less social support, lower levels of spiritual well-being, and greater loneliness. Partners of survivors also experienced little psychological benefit or "post-traumatic growth" for having overcome a stressful experience.