Social support, social constraint, and affect in spouses of women with breast cancer: The role of cognitive processing

Social support and constraint may impact cognitive processing of traumatic or stressful events, thereby influencing adjustment. This study tested a path model accounting for positive and negative affect in male spouses of women with breast cancer (N = 105). The model examined support and constraint from the patient and others, as well as mediators of cancerrelated intrusive thoughts and avoidance. Constraint from the patient was associated with affect in the healthy spouse. The relationship with positive affect was mediated by avoidance, while the relationship with negative affect was mediated by intrusive thoughts. Support from others was directly linked to positive affect. Spouses who perceive social constraint from the patient may experience poorer psychological adjustment due to impeded cognitive processing of the cancer experience. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships © The Author(s), 2010. Reprints and permissions: http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav, Vol. 27(1): 5–22. DOI: 10.1177/0265407509347836 This research was partially supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to Tamarha Pierce (756–98–0060). Portions of these data were previously presented at annual meetings of the Society of Behavioral Medicine and the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology, and the 8th World Congress of PsychoOncology. All correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Marne L. Sherman, Department of Psychology, University of Missouri – Kansas City, 4825 Troost Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA [e-mail: [email protected]]. at VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY LIBRARY on October 15, 2014 spr.sagepub.com Downloaded from