Functional impairment, marital quality, and patient psychological distressas predictors of psychological distress among cancer patients' spouses

This study investigated contextual determinants of psychological distress a mong 197 spouses of cancer patients. It was hypothesized that higher levels of patient functional impairment would lead to greater patient distress. P atient distress, in turn, would lead to lower spouse marital satisfaction a nd ultimately to higher spouse distress. Spouses completed measures of dist ress and marital quality at three time points. Cancer patients, rated their functional impairment and psychological distress at the same time points. Results indicated that at all time points, greater patient impairment was a ssociated with higher levels of patient distress, which, in turn, was, rela ted to, lower marital satisfaction. However, marital quality was related to spouse distress at only I time point, but spouse distress was directly ass ociated with patient distress at each, time point. Implications for cancer patients and spouses are discussed.