Dyadic effects of coping strategies on emotional state and quality of life in prostate cancer patients and their spouses.

BACKGROUND: During cancer, coping strategies adopted by patients with prostate cancer and their spouses have an effect on their own emotional state and quality of life (QoL). However, the effects of coping strategies used by a member of a couple on the well-being of the other member are unknown. The aim of this study is to examine the dyadic effects of coping strategies on the emotional state and QoL of couples dealing with cancer. METHODS: Ninety-nine couples completed various self-questionnaires to assess psychological and physical QoL, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and coping strategies at the beginning, middle, and end of primary treatment. RESULTS: Results obtained with the actor-partner interdependence model showed that coping strategies used by patients or spouses play a key role not only in their own well-being but also in their partners'. Indeed, when patients use problem-focused coping or social support-seeking, they, as well as their spouses, experience fewer anxiety and depressive symptoms. Conversely, patients or spouses who use emotion-focused coping experience higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Finally, and it is a surprising result, when spouses seek social support, patients feel greater anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that both patients and spouses should be included in psychosocial programs, which develop and reinforce their ability to cope with cancer. Couples may benefit from membership in support groups allowing them to share their experiences.

[Construct and validation of a quality of life's scale for older French people]. / Élaboration et validation d'une échelle de qualité de vie adaptée aux personnes âgées (EQVPA).

Given changing and subjective aspects of quality of life, the current assessment scales are often encompassing and not very adapted for older people. Thus, the present validation study has several objectives: 1) To elaborate a specific measure of the quality of life of older people, given the characteristics and problems of this population; 2) To propose a simple scale to use for any health care professional and fast passation to encourage the inclusion of such measures in the framework of a comprehensive care of the elderly; 3) To validate this scale in a large cohort of retired older farmers. This scale resulted in 14 items illustrating the various dimensions of quality of life of older people. It was then proposed for validation in a large cohort of retired elderly farmers of 65 years and over, and living at home. After exploratory factor analysis of subjects' responses to the EQVPA, five items were extracted explaining 48.8% of the total variance. Its internal consistency was satisfactory (Cronbach's alpha=0.72). The five items permitted to assess daily and social activities in environment, social and familial relationships, physical and functional health and mental health. The results showed that quality of life is significantly correlated with greater life satisfaction, more social support and social network, higher level of subjective health, lower level of functional impairments, lower level of anxious and depressive symptoms, and lower level of routinization. Validation of the tools such as EQVPA seems important for the prevention and preservation of the quality of life of older people.