Social support, constraints, and protective buffering in prostate cancer patients and their partners

UnrestrictedThe social-cognitive processing model proposes that open communication within a supportive environment facilitates processing and emotional adjustment following a traumatic event. The study examined 2 types of limitations on communication -- social constraints and protective buffering -- among prostate cancer patients and their spouses. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relation of social constraints and protective buffering on affect, as well as to explore potential mediators and moderators of these relations. The study was a subset of a larger study that assessed the health-related quality of life of prostate cancer patients who underwent laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Questionnaire data were obtained from 50 couples at two time-points: prior to surgery and three months following surgery. The results indicated that greater spousal perceived social constraint from patients significantly predicted less of a reduction in spousal negative affect over time. Contrary to the study's hypotheses, spousal perceived social constraint from family/friends and spousal protective buffering of patients were not significantly associated with changes in spousal affect over time. Mediational relations from a social-cognitive perspective, specifically the role of communication on the above relations, also were not supported. Greater spousal negative affect was associated with greater provision of support to patients from both the spouses' and patients' perspectives. Spousal affect, however, was not associated with patients' perceived social constraint from spouses or perceived protective buffering by spouses. Exploratory findings revealed that greater spousal perceived protective buffering by patients significantly predicted less of a reduction in spousal negative affect, in part due to greater spousal perceived social constraints. For patients, however, perceptions of being buffered by spouses were not predictive of change in patients' affect over; The results of the study suggest that it will be important for physicians and behavioral medicine specialists to assess not only patients' adjustment to cancer, but spouses' adjustment and relationship factors as well. Additionally, couple’s interventions focusing on dyadic interactions, specifically perceived social constraints and protective buffering, could assist couples in coping with the challenges faced during illness