Dyadic coping and social support: Various types of support in hematooncological patients and their spouses—Associations with psychological distress

OBJECTIVE Patients and spouses use various support strategies to deal with cancer and its associated burden. Support can be perceived within the dyad [perceived dyadic coping (PDC)] or from others [perceived social support (PSS)]. The present study investigates the association of PDC and PSS with depression and anxiety symptoms experienced by hematooncological dyads. METHODS A total of 330 hematooncological dyads participated in the study. Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI) including perceived stress communication and four PDC strategies (supportive, negative, delegated, common), ENRICHED Social Support Instrument (ESSI) and Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) are used for assessment. To take nonindependence of patient's and spouse's variables into account, data are analyzed with the Actor-partner-interdependence model (APIM). RESULTS Hematological cancer patients and their spouses reported a similar level of depression and anxiety symptoms. Perceived negative dyadic coping (DC) was adversely related with both patient's and spouse's outcomes (all p