• myGriffith
    • Staff portal
    • Contact Us⌄
      • Future student enquiries 1800 677 728
      • Current student enquiries 1800 154 055
      • International enquiries +61 7 3735 6425
      • General enquiries 07 3735 7111
      • Online enquiries
      • Staff phonebook
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • Griffith Theses
    • Theses - Higher Degree by Research
    • View Item
    • Home
    • Griffith Theses
    • Theses - Higher Degree by Research
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

  • All of Griffith Research Online
    • Communities & Collections
    • Authors
    • By Issue Date
    • Titles
  • This Collection
    • Authors
    • By Issue Date
    • Titles
  • Statistics

  • Most Popular Items
  • Statistics by Country
  • Most Popular Authors
  • Support

  • Contact us
  • FAQs
  • Admin login

  • Login
  • Enhancing Couple Coping and Adjustment to Cancer

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    Scott_2004_02Thesis.pdf (982.3Kb)
    Author(s)
    Scott, Jennifer L.
    Primary Supervisor
    Halford, Kim
    Other Supervisors
    Ward, Bruce
    Year published
    2004
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract
    Cancer diagnosis and treatment affects the psychological wellbeing of both patients and their partners. Couples who adapt well to their cancer experience are said to engage in “couple-coping”, a process of conjoint coping and mutual support that forges a shared approach to managing the stressors they encounter. However, most psycho-oncology interventions focus on assisting the patients alone to cope with cancer. Little is known about how to help couples develop a unified stand against cancer, or whether couples who cope as a team are more successful in re-claiming their lives after cancer than patients who wage a solo ...
    View more >
    Cancer diagnosis and treatment affects the psychological wellbeing of both patients and their partners. Couples who adapt well to their cancer experience are said to engage in “couple-coping”, a process of conjoint coping and mutual support that forges a shared approach to managing the stressors they encounter. However, most psycho-oncology interventions focus on assisting the patients alone to cope with cancer. Little is known about how to help couples develop a unified stand against cancer, or whether couples who cope as a team are more successful in re-claiming their lives after cancer than patients who wage a solo battle. The present study examined the efficacy of promoting couple coping compared to enhancing the patients’ coping alone. Ninety-four married women with early stage cancer and their partners were randomly assigned to couple-based coping and support training (CanCOPE), individual coping training for the woman, or a medical education control. Couples’ observed support communication, and self-reported psychological distress, coping-effort and sexual adjustment were assessed at diagnosis, after cancer surgery, and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Relative to the other conditions, CanCOPE produced significant improvements in couples’ supportive communication, reduced psychological distress and coping effort, and improved sexual adjustment. Training in couple coping rather than individual coping was more effective in facilitating adaptation to cancer. The findings have practical implications for the delivery of psychological support services to women with cancer, as well as broader theoretical implications for the way models of stress and coping have traditionally been conceptualised.
    View less >
    Thesis Type
    Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
    Degree Program
    Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
    School
    School of Applied Psychology
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/857
    Copyright Statement
    The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
    Item Access Status
    Public
    Subject
    Cancer patients
    Couple-coping
    Adjustment psychology
    Publication URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10072/366925
    Collection
    • Theses - Higher Degree by Research

    Footer

    Disclaimer

    • Privacy policy
    • Copyright matters
    • CRICOS Provider - 00233E
    • TEQSA: PRV12076

    Tagline

    • Gold Coast
    • Logan
    • Brisbane - Queensland, Australia
    First Peoples of Australia
    • Aboriginal
    • Torres Strait Islander