Objective: Associations between marital satisfaction and illness acceptance are mediated by different factors. This study examines whether partner communication mediates relationships between marital satisfaction and illness acceptance among couples coping with breast cancer within a dyadic approach.
Methods: One hundred and thirty-six couples were examined: 136 women with a diagnosis of breast cancer and their 136 spouses without a history of cancer. Questionnaires measuring marital satisfaction, partner communication, and illness acceptance were used. SEM analysis was applied to examine mediation effects.
Results: For the patients, marital satisfaction was positively associated with supportive self-communication, supportive partner communication, and illness acceptance. For the spouses, marital satisfaction was positively correlated with supportive self-communication and supportive partner communication, yet, it was negatively correlated with deprecating communication of both self and partner. The associations between marital satisfaction and illness acceptance were mainly mediated by supportive communication (self and partner).
Conclusions: An examination of partner communication within a dyad is crucial for understanding relationships between marital satisfaction and illness acceptance in breast cancer patients. These relationships predominantly depend on the supportive communication of cognitive and emotional information between the spouses.
Keywords: breast cancer; cancer; illness acceptance; marital satisfaction; oncology; partner communication.
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