Couples' Communication and Quality of Life during Prostate Cancer Survivorship

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in men. Evidence suggests that prostate cancer and its treatment often involve the most intimate parts of the relationship between cancer patients and their partners, and thus, can have considerable negative effects on their quality of life (QOL) over an extended period of time. While coping with this "couple's illness," the communication between prostate cancer patients and their partners-the exchange of cancer-related information and concerns-plays an integral role in couples' daily life and the informal caregiving. Yet there has been little research on the relationship between communication and QOL in couples coping with prostate cancer. Fewer studies have concurrently examined the perspectives of both patients and their partners as it relates to their communication about the illness. There is also an absence of quantitative longitudinal research that examines how levels or patterns of communication change over time during prostate cancer survivorship. The purpose of this study is to describe changes in the levels of communication between prostate cancer patients and their partners over time, and to determine the amount of variance in their QOL that is accounted for by the Couple's Cancer Communication Model. Based on a secondary analysis of the longitudinal data obtained from a randomized clinical trial sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, two specific aims will be addressed in this study. Aim one is to describe the pattern of change in prostate cancer patients' and their partners' levels of communication from baseline to 4, and 8 month follow-ups. Aim two is to test the hypothesized relationships in the Couple's Cancer Communication Model designed to predict the QOL in prostate cancer patients and their partners. The results from this study will contribute to the body of knowledge pertaining to communication between prostate cancer patients and their partners, and their subsequent QOL. Furthermore, the study will provide valuable information that can be used to develop intervention strategies to assist couples to communicate more effectively and to support one another as they cope with the demands of prostate cancer. With an ultimate goal of optimizing the QOL for cancer survivors and their families, this research effort is in accordance with the research priorities of prominent scientific and funding agencies including the Institute of Medicine, the National Institute of Nursing Research, and the National Cancer Institute.