Couples, Culture, and Cancer

When a spouse is diagnosed with a serious illness, both marital partners and the relationship are affected. However, little research has examined the impacts of such health problems on the communication between the spouses as well as on the marriage overall. This study explores the impact of prostate cancer on marital communication. After examining research on social support, health and illness, and relationship maintenance, narratives from couples battling prostate cancer were analyzed. Study findings reveal three main themes—reassurance, connection, and protection—common in the couples’ communicative experiences. Introduction Though only men are diagnosed with prostate cancer, this illness, like most serious ones, affects both marital partners. Further, its effects often impact a couple in private areas of their lives. Beyond potentially working together to find information on treatments, couples have to manage relational culture changes through communication (e.g., strain as roles shift, care giving needs). How spouses provide support and manage stress associated with the diagnosis of prostate cancer will have important influences on the quality of their relationship. Some research has examined the effects of this cancer on men and their spouses (Kornblith et al., 1994; Morse & Fife, 1998), but little focuses on communication in marital culture (Gray et al., 2000). To better understand communication when managing prostate cancer, we explored couples’ firsthand experiences. The symptoms of prostate cancer and the effects of treatment can have lasting negative impacts on a man’s view of his masculinity, which may adversely affect his marital relationship, especially the sexual relationship (Laverly & Clarke, 1999). Laverly and Clarke (1999) found the majority of prostate cancer survivors reported that marital relationships improved. Additionally, most other couples indicated that their relationships were essentially the same, though a few noted negative general relationship outcomes. However, regardless of the assessment of general relational outcomes, three-fourths of the participants reported that having prostate cancer negatively influenced their sexual relationships. Most couples managing prostate cancer struggle with communication surrounding impotency, incontinence, and/or loss of sexual desire, which may threaten intimacy. Further, due to the myriad changes they invoke, serious health problems often threaten relational stability (by leading to reduction of shared activities, redistribution of responsibilities, and shifts in autonomy; e.g., Lyons et al., 1995).