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Calibrating Independence Goals and Partner Support: Couples Adjust to Functional Limitations after Tumor Surgery
Author(s) -
Knoll Nina,
Wiedemann Amelie U.,
Schrader Mark,
Felber Juliane,
Burkert Silke,
Daig Isolde,
Heckhausen Jutta
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
applied psychology: health and well‐being
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.276
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1758-0854
pISSN - 1758-0846
DOI - 10.1111/aphw.12043
Subject(s) - affect (linguistics) , independence (probability theory) , disengagement theory , propensity score matching , psychology , medicine , clinical psychology , gerontology , statistics , mathematics , communication
Background When patients recover from disease‐related functional limitations, support received from partners may not always match patients' changing independence goals. The lines of defense (LoD) model proposes a hierarchy of independence goals (LoDs), ranging from minimising discomfort by disengagement (lowest LoD) to protection of self‐reliance (highest LoD). Prostate cancer patients' LoDs were examined as moderators of the association between partner support and patients' and partners' affect during patients' recovery from postsurgical functional limitations. Methods Data from 169 couples were assessed four times within 7 months following patients' surgery. Patients reported on post‐surgery functional limitations (i.e. incontinence), LoDs, affect, and received partner support. Partners reported on affect and support provided to patients. Results In patients endorsing lower LoDs, more received support was associated with less negative affect. Also, not endorsing high LoDs while receiving strong partner support was related to patients' lower negative and higher positive affect. Partners' support provision to patients tended to be associated with increases in partners' negative affect when patients had endorsed higher LoDs and with increases in positive affect when patients had endorsed lower LoDs. Conclusions Matching patients' independence goals or LoDs with partners' support may be beneficial for patients' and partners' affect.