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Naturalistically observing noncancer conversations among couples coping with breast cancer
Author(s) -
Robbins Megan L.,
Karan Alexander,
López Ana María,
Weihs Karen L.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
psycho‐oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.41
H-Index - 137
eISSN - 1099-1611
pISSN - 1057-9249
DOI - 10.1002/pon.4797
Subject(s) - conversation , coping (psychology) , psychological intervention , breast cancer , psychology , clinical psychology , conversation analysis , medicine , cancer , developmental psychology , communication , psychiatry
Objective This study revealed the landscape of noncancer conversations, identifying topics and types of everyday conversation, and examined links to psychological adjustment among couples coping with breast cancer. Methods Fifty‐two couples wore the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) over 1 weekend and self‐reported psychological adjustment while patients were on treatment. The EAR sampled 50 s of ambient sound every 9 minutes to estimate the frequency of noncancer conversation and reveal topics and types of conversation. Results Analyses revealed noncancer conversations comprised over 93% of conversations. The most common topic discussed was people. Substantive conversation was associated with better, while emotional disclosure was associated with worse, well‐being for patients, but not spouses. Conclusions Results revealed that ordinary conversations are frequent among couples who face breast cancer, and they are associated with patients' psychological adjustment, providing a foundation for potential interventions for coping with cancer that do not focus on illness.