The small study reviewed here found that spouses of women treated for breast cancer were more likely to become depressed when they were:
The study only looked at male-female relationships, so it's not clear if these results would apply to same-sex couples.
The researchers didn't find a link between a husband's depression and particular details of the breast cancer or treatment (such as whether it was early-stage or advanced). The researchers did find that a husband's depression can negatively affect his wife's treatment response, as well as the couple's relationship.
The emotional toll breast cancer has on a partner or other loved one can be as large or larger than on the person diagnosed. If you're being treated for breast cancer, try to talk to your partner about how he or she is handling the unwanted and frightening intrusion of breast cancer into your lives. If you sense that your partner is struggling, ask for help from other loved ones and your medical team. Caring for each other is one of the best things you can do to fight cancer and stay well, both physically and emotionally.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Researchers have found that certain characteristics predict whether spouses of women with breast cancer will become depressed.
Dr. Frances Marcus Lewis, of the University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues had 206 spouses and 206 wives who were recently diagnosed with early breast cancer complete standardized questionnaires. They also used a standard depression scale to spot depressed mood.
Spouses were more likely to be depressed if they were older, less well educated, in shorter term marriages, or in less well-adjusted marriages, they report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Spouses were also more likely to be depressed if they reported greater fears over their wife's well-being, worried about their job performance, or were more uncertain about their own future. No medical or treatment variables were significant predictors of depressed mood in the spouses.
Depression in spouses of women with breast cancer "deleteriously affects their own and their wife's functioning and their marital communication," Lewis and colleagues write. However, no study, until now, has examined why some spouses get depressed whereas others do not, particularly during the first months of diagnosis and treatment, a known difficult time for couples, they point out.
Lewis and colleagues say spouses of women with breast cancer should be screened for depressed mood "and triaged into supportive services to better assist them manage the threat of their wife's disease."
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Oncology, March 2008.
Breastcancer.org 7 East Lancaster Avenue, 3rd Floor Ardmore, PA 19003
Learn more about our commitment to your privacy
© 2009 Breastcancer.org - All rights reserved.
Breastcancer.org is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing information and community to those touched by this disease. Learn more about our commitment to providing complete, accurate, and private breast cancer information.
_tcm8-332386.jpg "wellness_dvd_promo")