Artikel: Helping Her Heal: Randomized clinical trial to enhance dyadic outcomes in couples (2019)

Objective

The objective of this study was to test the short‐term efficacy of a brief, fully manualized marital communication and interpersonal support intervention for couples facing recently diagnosed breast cancer.

Methods

A total of 322 women diagnosed within 6 months with stages 0 to III breast cancer and their 322 spouse caregivers were enrolled. Spouses in the experimental group received five 30‐ to 60‐minute intervention sessions at 2‐week intervals by master's‐prepared patient educators; controls received the booklet, “What's Happening to the Woman I Love?” Outcomes were assessed at 3, 6, and 9 months using the linear mixed models within an intent‐to‐treat analysis.

Results

Compared with controls, at 3 months, spouse caregivers significantly improved on standardized measures of depressed mood, anxiety, cancer‐related marital communication, interpersonal support, and self‐care. All differences except depressed mood and anxiety were sustained at 9 months. Wives significantly improved at 3 months on marital communication and positive appraisal of spouses' interpersonal support; gains remained significant at 9 months. Compared with controls on chemotherapy, wives in the experimental group additionally improved on depressed mood and tended to improve on anxiety.

Conclusions

A brief, fully manualized intervention delivered directly to spouse caregivers early in the course of their wives' medical treatment improves caregivers' self‐care and behavioral‐emotional adjustment and wives' positive view of their spouses' support and communication. The brevity and manualized structure of the intervention argue strongly for its scalability, use in cost‐sensitive settings, and its potential dissemination through e‐health channels.