Adjustment of women and their husbands to recurrent breast cancer.

The psychosocial adjustment of women with recurrent breast cancer (N = 81) and their husbands (N = 74) were compared to determine if they report different levels of adjustment, support, symptom distress, hopelessness, and uncertainty. Women with recurrent breast cancer reported more emotional distress than their husbands, but both had a similar number of psychosocial role problems. Women and husbands differed in the amount of support and uncertainty they reported but not in the levels of symptom distress or hopelessness they perceived. Women, in contrast to their husbands, expressed more surprise that their cancer recurred and found the recurrent phase of illness more distressing than the initial diagnosis.