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INTRODUCTION: We describe the frequency of, satisfaction with, and characteristics associated with confidant use among patients and their spouse in the year after diagnosis of non-metastatic breast cancer.
METHODS: In a prospective study of 308 women diagnosed in 1996-97 in Quebec and their spouses, participants were interviewed about confidant use 2 weeks, 3 and 12 months after treatment start. Study completion among eligible individuals was high (patients, 86%; spouses, 84%).
RESULTS: Compared to before diagnosis when 55% of patients reported confiding in >or=1 individuals, 84% reported confiding since diagnosis when interviewed 2 weeks after treatment start (prevalence ratio (PR(2 weeks)) = 1.43, p or=2 types of adjuvant therapy predicted greater confidant use in both partners.
CONCLUSIONS: Judging from the relative differences in confidant use, the effect of diagnosis of non-metastatic breast cancer on natural support-seeking behaviour over time is at least as strong among spouses as among their wives.
IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: The majority of women and their spouses appear satisfied with their confidant situation, even in the first months after diagnosis when this type of support-seeking behaviour increased in both partners. |
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