Journal of behavioral medicine
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Individuals diagnosed with lung and head and neck (HN) cancers and their spouses are at increased risk for distress. This study assessed whether the way couples communicate about cancer and their perceptions of relationship intimacy influenced both partners' adjustment. One-hundred thirty-nine patients and their spouses [For purposes of clarity, we refer to the patients' intimate partner as the spouse, regardless of actual marital status and we reserve the term partner to refer to the other person in the couple (i.e., the patient's partner is the spouse and the spouse's partner is the patient)] completed measures of spousal communication, intimacy, and distress at three time points over 6 months. ⋯ Patients and spouses who reported greater baseline distress reported more negative baseline communication as well as lower levels of intimacy and greater distress over time. Mediation analyses showed patients' and spouses' reports of positive spousal communication were associated with less subsequent distress largely through their effects on intimacy. Clinicians working with head and neck or lung cancer patients should assess communication and intimacy because both impact couples' distress.
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The present study is a waitlist-controlled investigation of the impact of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on mindful attentiveness, rumination and blood pressure (BP) in women with cancer. Female post-treatment cancer patients were recruited from the MBSR program waitlist. Participants completed self-report measures of mindfulness and rumination and measured casual BP at home before and after the 8-week MBSR program or waiting period. ⋯ When participants were assigned to "Higher BP" and "Lower BP" conditions based on mean BP values at week 1, "Higher BP" participants in the MBSR group (n=19) had lower SBP at week 8 relative to the control group (n=16). A MBSR program may be efficacious in increasing mindful attention and decreasing rumination in women with cancer. Randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate an impact on clinically elevated BP.