Patterns of confidant use among patients and spouses in the year after breast cancer

We describe the frequency of, satisfaction with, and characteristics associated with confidant use among patients and their spouse in the year after diagnosis of non-metastatic breast cancer. In a prospective study of 308 women diagnosed in 1996–97 in Quebec and their spouses, participants were interviewed about confidant use 2 weeks, 3 and 12 months after treatment start. Study completion among eligible individuals was high (patients, 86%; spouses, 84%). Compared to before diagnosis when 55% of patients reported confiding in ≥1 individuals, 84% reported confiding since diagnosis when interviewed 2 weeks after treatment start (prevalence ratio (PR2 weeks) = 1.43, p