Pistrang N, Barker C
Psychology Department (Philips House), University College London, England.
Soc Sci Med. 1995 Mar;40(6):789-97. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(94)00136-h.
The social support literature has demonstrated that interpersonal relationships play an important role in adaptation to serious illness. However, researchers have recently emphasized the limitations of the social support construct and have urged a focus of attention away from global measures of perceived support and towards specific processes that occur in close relationships. The present study examined the role of one such process--informal helping from the partner--in women's psychological response to breast cancer. Structured interviews were conducted with 113 women who had received a diagnosis of breast cancer within the previous year. We found that satisfaction with the partner helping relationship was associated with psychological well-being. Even though most women had a good helping relationship with another person, this did not compensate for a problematic helping relationship with the partner. Good communication with the partner was characterized by high empathy and low withdrawal. The findings suggest that the partner plays an important role in breast cancer patients' adaptation, and that interventions aimed at couples may be an effective way of reducing psychological distress.
社会支持方面的文献表明，人际关系在适应严重疾病过程中起着重要作用。然而，研究人员最近强调了社会支持这一概念的局限性，并敦促将注意力从对感知支持的整体衡量上转移开，转而关注亲密关系中发生的具体过程。本研究考察了其中一个这样的过程——伴侣的非正式帮助——在女性对乳腺癌的心理反应中的作用。对113名在过去一年中被诊断出患有乳腺癌的女性进行了结构化访谈。我们发现，对伴侣帮助关系的满意度与心理健康状况相关。尽管大多数女性与他人有着良好的帮助关系，但这并不能弥补与伴侣之间存在问题的帮助关系。与伴侣的良好沟通表现为高度的同理心和低程度的退缩。研究结果表明，伴侣在乳腺癌患者的适应过程中起着重要作用，针对夫妻的干预措施可能是减轻心理困扰的有效方法。
