Background

Psycho-oncology couples' research frequently includes fewer than 50 % of those eligible.

Purpose

This research examined individual and relationship characteristics associated with recruitment and retention of breast cancer survivors' partners.

Methods

Investigators asked survivors from the Moving Beyond Cancer trial for permission to invite their partners to a parallel, longitudinal study.

Results

Of 384 survivors with male partners, 280 survivors provided consent to contact partners, and 164 partners completed both assessments. Backward stepwise regression indicated that greater family income and support from a partner and helpful other increased the likelihood of survivor consent to contact her partner. Greater family income, better survivor physical and emotional quality of life, and white ethnicity increased the likelihood of partner participation.

Conclusions

Breast cancer patients who are ethnic minorities, have lower socioeconomic status, or have poorer physical and mental quality of life appear less likely to participate in psycho-oncology couples' research, whereas women with supportive partners might be overrepresented.

Cognitive theories of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suggest that trauma narratives that make greater use of somatosensory, perceptual, and negative emotion words may be indicators of greater risk of PTSD symptoms (Ehlers & Clark, 2000). The purpose of this study was to analyze whether the way that survivors of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi naturally construct genocide testimonies predicts PTSD symptoms 6 years later. One hundred orphaned heads of household (OHH) who were members of a community association gave testimonies about their genocide experiences in 2002. In 2008, PTSD symptoms of 61 of the original OHH were assessed using a genocide-specific version of the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (Weiss & Marmar, 1997). Experienced genocide events were coded from the genocide testimonies, and the types of words used in the testimonies were analyzed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count program (Pennebaker, Chung, Ireland, Gonzales, & Booth, 2007). Pearson correlations and path analyses assessed the relationships between variables. After accounting for genocide events, touching positively predicted avoidance, and sadness negatively predicted hyperarousal. Sensory descriptions of traumatic experiences in trauma narratives may signify higher risk for mental health problems whereas expressions of sadness may indicate emotional processing and better mental health. Analyzing genocide testimonies may help identify survivors at the highest risk of developing PTSD symptoms, even among a group of survivors who have arguably suffered some of the most severe genocide experiences.

Thousands of orphaned survivors of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi were not only exposed to extraordinarily severe forms of violence, but also many of these children took on the responsibility of caring and providing for other child survivors. This study describes the poverty, educational attainment, social support and mental health of orphaned heads of household (OHH) fourteen years after the genocide, and analyzes how violence exposure during the genocide and post-genocide stressors contributed to symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and distress. Participants were 61 members of an OHH community organization who were interviewed in 2002 about their genocide experiences and who provided a follow-up assessment of post-genocide risk factors and PTSD and distress symptoms in 2008. Almost all of the OHH in this study reported low social support, high levels of poverty, and high rates of PTSD and distress symptoms. Lower educational attainment predicted PTSD symptoms and partially mediated the association between exposure to genocide violence and PTSD. Distress was predicted by lack of social support and witnessing family members harmed during the genocide. Results suggest that public health and community efforts to improve educational outcomes and to strengthen and expand social support networks may improve mental health outcomes of OHH.