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This study investigated: (a) the effect of emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) on psychological distress and well‐being of couples in long‐term marriages, using longitudinal data; and (b) the influence of spouses' emotion regulation on psychological outcomes in the actor–partner interdependence model. In this longitudinal study, we conducted a baseline survey and a 1‐year follow‐up to analyze data of 66 couples (N = 132; duration of marriage, M = 36.82 years, SD = 6.83 years; husband's age, M = 64.50 years, SD = 4.05 years; and wife's age, M = 61.39 years, SD = 4.82 years) living in Japan. Emotion regulation, psychological well‐being, psychological distress, and various control variables (age, education level, duration of the marriage, and household income) were assessed. Hierarchical linear modeling with distinguishable dyads was used to determine actor–partner interdependence in the effect of emotion regulation on mental health. The actor effect was observed in both husbands and wives when baseline cognitive reappraisal was predicted to positively influence psychological well‐being in the follow‐up. However, this effect was not observed for expression suppression. Additionally, regarding psychological distress, there were no actor or partner effects in either reappraisal or suppression. Possible reasons for these findings, including cultural differences, are discussed in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We evaluated avoidance behaviors of healthy partners of breast cancer patients and sought to (1) describe men's perception of their own avoidance behavior and (2) identify the background factors associated with such behavior.Methods: An Internet-based survey was conducted, and analysis was performed on the responses of 368 male spouses of female breast cancer patients.Results: Thirty to forty percent of spouses had some type of problem avoidance behavior toward their wives. There was a high correlation (r = 0.70, P < .001) between problem avoidance behavior at the time of diagnosis and subsequent problem behavior (mean follow-up period after diagnosis: 1.3 + 1.1 years). The characteristics of spouses with avoidant behaviors included having wives with recurrence, having wives treated with anticancer drug therapy or total resection, and having their own experience of cancer. Covariance structure analysis revealed 2 factors related to the background of spouses with problem avoidance behavior: (1) having a sense of difficulty in coping (beta = 0.68, P < .001) and (2) having a poor marital relationship (beta = -0.27, P < .001).Conclusions: Our findings suggest that problem avoidance behavior among healthy male partners of breast cancer patients is common and correlates with difficulty coping and a poor marital relationship. It is important to address both the problem avoidance behavior itself and to support couples early, before this behavior surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study explores the distribution of public awareness, knowledge of availability, and readiness for palliative care services, and the perceived reliability of information resources as part of a nationwide palliative care implementation intervention in Japan (Outreach Palliative Care Trial of Integrated Regional Model [OPTIM]). Methods: A cross-sectional anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted, and 3984 responses were used in the final analysis. Results: A total of 63.1% of respondents admitted having no knowledge about palliative care, while 0.5% of respondents were using palliative care services. Respondents who knew about palliative care services, yet did not know about their availability were 18.6% of all respondents. Respondents who had cancer-related experiences were more likely to be aware of palliative care compared to the general population and availability of palliative care services. Only awareness of palliative care was significantly associated with two typical images, while cancer-related experiences were not. Conclusion: Findings show that the public awareness of palliative care services and their availability is insufficient, and cancer-related experiences affect awareness of cancer palliative care but not directly related to typical images for palliative care such as care for patients close to death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]