Perceptions of family relationships associated with husbands' ambivalence and dependency in anticipating losing their wives to metastatic/recurrent breast cancer

Abstract

This study examined perceptions of family relationships associated with a husband's ambivalence and dependency in anticipating losing his wife to metastatic/recurrent breast cancer. Baseline data were collected from 50 husbands of women with metastatic/recurrent breast cancer who participated in a randomized clinical trial examining the effects of group therapy on emotional adjustment and health. Both women with metastatic/recurrent breast cancer and their husbands completed the Family Relations Index and were assessed for their demographic characteristics. Also, husbands completed the Anticipation of Loss Questionnaire, assessing their ambivalence and dependency in anticipating the loss of their wives. The results showed that a wife's positive evaluation of cohesiveness in her family relations was associated with having her husband report that he felt highly dependent on her in anticipating her loss. In contrast, the husband's positive evaluation of family relations was associated with his reporting low ambivalence regarding the loss of his wife. These results suggest that husbands' feelings of ambivalence and dependence in anticipating the loss of their wives need to be addressed in working with couples with metastatic/recurrent cancer.