Couples' Communication and Quality of Life during Prostate Cancer Survivorship

描述(申请人提供)：前列腺癌是男性最常见的确诊癌症，也是导致癌症相关死亡的第二大原因。有证据表明，前列腺癌及其治疗通常涉及癌症患者及其伴侣关系中最亲密的部分，因此，在很长一段时间内，可能会对他们的生活质量(QOL)产生相当大的负面影响。前列腺癌患者与伴侣之间的沟通--癌症相关信息和关切的交流--在夫妻的日常生活和非正式照顾中扮演着不可或缺的角色。然而，在患有前列腺癌的夫妇中，关于沟通和生活质量之间的关系的研究很少。同时检查患者及其伴侣的观点的研究较少，因为这与他们对疾病的沟通有关。也缺乏定量的纵向研究来检验前列腺癌生存期间沟通水平或模式是如何随时间变化的。这项研究的目的是描述前列腺癌患者和他们的伴侣之间的沟通水平随时间的变化，并确定他们的生活质量的差异程度，这是由夫妇的癌症沟通模型解释的。基于对由国家癌症研究所赞助的随机临床试验获得的纵向数据的二次分析，这项研究将解决两个具体目标。目的一是描述前列腺癌患者及其伴侣的沟通水平从基线到4个月和8个月随访的变化模式。第二个目的是检验夫妇癌症传播模型中的假设关系，该模型旨在预测前列腺癌患者及其伴侣的生活质量。这项研究的结果将有助于了解前列腺癌患者和他们的伴侣之间的沟通，以及他们随后的生活质量。此外，这项研究将提供有价值的信息，可用于制定干预策略，帮助夫妇更有效地沟通，并在他们应对前列腺癌的需求时相互支持。以优化癌症幸存者及其家人的生活质量为最终目标，这项研究努力符合包括医学研究所、国家护理研究所和国家癌症研究所在内的著名科学和资助机构的研究优先事项。

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.