University Honors

The present study compares the frequency of conversations between individuals and theirpartners coping with a cancer diagnosis and their support system using naturalistic observationmethods. This study followed 53 eligible couples (106 participants total) throughout the study’sobservation period. Descriptive analyses showed that in general individuals talk to their partnersmore frequently than any other group of their support system. Secondly, when comparing Whiteindividuals to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), White individuals talk morefrequently to their partners than BIPOC individuals. However, there is no notable difference inthe frequency at which they talk to their family or friends. Finally, conversation frequency wascompared to self-reported depressive scores. There was no correlation between increasedconversation frequency and reduction of depressive symptoms. By gaining a betterunderstanding of these associations, researchers will be able to further explore how women withcancer develop their ability to cope and design classes or therapies that can teach participantsdifferent techniques on how to effectively adjust to adverse news.