Langer Shelby L, Brown Jonathon D, Syrjala Karen L
School of Social Work, Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA.
Cancer. 2009 Sep 15;115(18 Suppl):4311-25. doi: 10.1002/cncr.24586.
Protective buffering refers to hiding cancer-related thoughts and concerns from one's spouse or partner. In this study, the authors examined the intrapersonal and interpersonal consequences of protective buffering and the motivations for such behavior (desire to shield partner from distress, desire to shield self from distress).
Eighty hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients and their spousal caregivers/partners completed measures that were designed to assess protective buffering and relationship satisfaction at 2 time points: before transplantation (T1) and 50 days after transplantation (T2). Overall mental health also was assessed at T2.
There was moderate agreement between 1 dyad member's reported buffering of their partner and the partner's perception of the extent to which they felt buffered. Caregivers buffered patients more than patients buffered caregivers, especially at T2. The more participants buffered their partners at T2 and the more they felt buffered, the lower their concurrent relationship satisfaction and the poorer their mental health. The latter effect was particularly true for patients who buffered and for patients who felt buffered. With respect to motivations, patients who buffered primarily to protect their partner at T1 reported increases in relationship satisfaction over time; however, when they did so at T2, their caregiver reported concurrent decreases in relationship satisfaction.
Protective buffering is costly, in that those who buffer and those who feel buffered report adverse psychosocial outcomes. In addition, buffering enacted by patients with an intention to help may prove counterproductive, ultimately hurting the object of such protection.
保护性缓冲是指对配偶或伴侣隐瞒与癌症相关的想法和担忧。在本研究中，作者考察了保护性缓冲的个人内部和人际影响以及这种行为的动机（保护伴侣免受痛苦的愿望、保护自己免受痛苦的愿望）。
80名造血干细胞移植受者及其配偶护理者/伴侣在两个时间点完成了旨在评估保护性缓冲和关系满意度的测量：移植前（T1）和移植后50天（T2）。在T2时还评估了总体心理健康状况。
二元组中一方报告的对其伴侣的缓冲与伴侣对自己被缓冲程度的感知之间存在中等程度的一致性。护理者对患者的缓冲多于患者对护理者的缓冲，尤其是在T2时。在T2时，参与者对其伴侣的缓冲越多，且他们感觉自己被缓冲的程度越高，他们当时的关系满意度就越低，心理健康状况也越差。后一种影响在进行缓冲的患者和感觉自己被缓冲的患者中尤为明显。关于动机，在T1时主要为保护伴侣而进行缓冲的患者报告随着时间推移关系满意度有所提高；然而，当他们在T2时这样做时，其护理者报告关系满意度同时下降。
保护性缓冲代价高昂，因为进行缓冲的人和感觉自己被缓冲的人都报告了不良的心理社会结果。此外，患者出于帮助目的而进行的缓冲可能会适得其反，最终伤害到这种保护的对象。
