Abstract
ObjectivesWhile both patients and informal caregivers report high levels of cancer-related distress, supportive care needs of relatives are often not taken into account and little is known about mutual perception of distress within couples. Therefore, we aimed to investigate distress in female patients with breast cancer and their male partners as well as supportive care needs in partners.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, we recruited women with breast cancer during primary cancer care and their male partners, obtained information on mental distress and supportive care needs through visual analog scales for four mood domains and the Short Form of Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS-SF34).ResultsAmong 250 eligible patients with breast cancer, 102 patients (40.8%) and their male partners participated. Partners reported higher levels of distress (p = 0.02), whereas patients (self-assessment) indicated stronger needs for help (p < 0.001). Men with higher levels of distress were younger (p < 0.001), and reported a shorter relationship duration (p = 0.001) compared to partners with lower distress. Partners overestimated distress, anxiety, depression, and need for help in the patient. Patients overestimated partners need for help. The majority of partners (78%) reported at least one unmet need, most frequently related to the health system and information domain.ConclusionA systematic distress and needs assessment for women with breast cancer and their male partners is mandatory. The provision of optimal supportive care depends on protocols that include not only psychosocial care for patients but also procedures for managing distress and needs for partners including individual and couple-based interventions.
Highlights
It is well-known that breast cancer and its treatment have a debilitating effect on patients suffering from health restrictions such as lymphedema, pain, early menopause, and sexual problems (Baucom et al, 2006), as well as from wide-ranging psychosocial consequences like anxiety, depression, and selfimage concerns (Bloom, 2002; Mitchell et al, 2011; Ng et al, 2011)
Another study found that 35.7% of patients with breast cancer and 16.1% of partners report moderate to severe distress (Dumitra et al, 2018)
Studies on gender and role in couples dealing with cancer show that women in both roles report higher burden than males and that women and male partners report lower quality of life compared to the general population (Bergelt et al, 2008; Drabe et al, 2016)
Summary
It is well-known that breast cancer and its treatment have a debilitating effect on patients suffering from health restrictions such as lymphedema, pain, early menopause, and sexual problems (Baucom et al, 2006), as well as from wide-ranging psychosocial consequences like anxiety, depression, and selfimage concerns (Bloom, 2002; Mitchell et al, 2011; Ng et al, 2011). Patients and caregivers show clinically relevant cancer-related distress and sometimes caregivers report even higher levels of anxiety than patients (Northouse et al, 2012; Feiten et al, 2013; Gröpper et al, 2016). Another study found that 35.7% of patients with breast cancer and 16.1% of partners report moderate to severe distress (Dumitra et al, 2018). Studies on gender and role (patient vs partner) in couples dealing with cancer show that women in both roles report higher burden than males and that women and male partners report lower quality of life compared to the general population (Bergelt et al, 2008; Drabe et al, 2016). Distress levels and quality of life do not differ between female patients and female partners, and both groups report higher distress and lower quality of life than unaffected controls, while male partners report higher distress levels than male patients (Hagedoorn et al, 2000)
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