The self-reported perceptions of the repercussions of the disease and its treatments on daily life for young women with breast cancer and their partners.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the self-reported perceptions of the repercussions of the disease and its treatments and emotional distress in young women with breast cancer and their partners. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study using self-reported questionnaires. SAMPLE: 491 couples in which women were aged <45 years when diagnosed with non-metastatic breast cancer in four different groups of treatment: during chemotherapy with or without Trastuzumab; under Trastuzumab with or without hormone therapy; during hormone therapy; and during the follow-up period. METHODS: Patients and partners completed a questionnaire assessing their self-reported perceptions of the disease and treatments (Patient YW-BCI and Partner YW-BCI for the partners) and their emotional distress (CESD; STAI). FINDINGS: Patients reported more difficulties than partners in the management of child(ren) and everyday life, body image and sexuality, negative affectivity about the disease and apprehension about the future, career management, and finances. While the difficulties were generally more marked in the chemotherapy and Trastuzumab groups than in the hormone therapy and follow-up groups, the negative affectivity about the disease and apprehension about the future was high in all four groups, especially in patients. The partners reported more difficulties in sharing with close relatives, and even more in those groups reflecting the latest treatment phases. No difference appeared between patients and partners in couple cohesion and deterioration of relationships with relatives. Partners were less anxious than patients but as depressed as them. CONCLUSIONS: Difficulties of patients and partners seem particularly severe in the early care pathway, maybe reflecting better adjustment in women under surveillance and their partners. A longitudinal study will substantiate this finding and enable a better identification of some explanatory processes of these differences and similarities in the daily self-reported repercussions of the disease throughout the cancer care pathway. Implications for psychosocial oncology: It seems important to support young women with breast cancer and their partners, as our results evidence distress in both and differences according to the type of treatment the woman is currently receiving. Healthcare providers need consistent methods to identify and respond to couples' distress and reduce significant disparities in support.

Emotional distress and subjective impact of the disease in young women with breast cancer and their spouses.

AIM: Evaluate the influence of emotional distress of young women with breast cancer and their spouses on their daily subjective experience of the disease, through application of the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. PATIENTS & METHODS: A total of 112 women under 45 years of age were diagnosed with nonmetastatic breast cancer and their spouses answered self-reported measures of anxiety, depression and subjective experience of the disease and its treatment. RESULTS: The patient's emotional distress influenced more the subjective experience of her spouse than the spouse's emotional distress influenced the patient. The spouse's difficulties depended as much on his own distress level as on the patient's distress level. CONCLUSION: These data confirm the importance of implementing couple-focused interventions.