Development of a common dyadic coping scale in couples facing breast cancer: the importance of open communication

Abstract

Objective

Couples’ joint coping is important in managing the impact of breast cancer. However, measures assessing couples’ communication as a way of coping are insufficient. This study aimed to generate a self-report valid and reliable measure of couples’ coping with a particular focus on communication.

Method

We used baseline data of 343 couple dyads who participated in a randomized clinical trial targeting marital communication. Women were diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in the past eight months; couples were married or in an intimate relationship for at least six months, could read and write English, and lived within 100 miles of the study center. An expert panel selected items with conceptual fit from the Mutuality and Interpersonal Sensitivity Scale (MIS) that was originally designed to evaluate marital communication about breast cancer.

Results

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a 12-item measurement model with four factors: Keeping the communication open with each other about breast cancer (4 items), Sharing a positive outlook on breast cancer (2 items), Avoiding discussion of negative thoughts and feelings about breast cancer (3 items), and Spending sufficient time together talking about breast cancer (3 items). Reliability ranged from 0.76 to 0.87 for women and 0.70 to 0.83 for spouses.

Conclusion

This new measure has potential application in clinical practice and future research to assess couple’s joint coping efforts especially through communication.

Keywords:

• Common dyadic coping
• factor analysis
• measurement tool
• open communication

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the contribution of Dr. Barbara Cochrane, Dr. Elaine Walsh, and Dr. Zaina Alzawad as the expert panel on item selection in this study and we appreciate the review and feedback of Dr. Monica Oxford on this paper.

Authors’ contributions

Wenjia Liu: Conceptualization, Formal Analysis, Data Curation, Writing – Original Draft; Frances M. Lewis: Conceptualization, Supervision, Writing – Review and Editing; Min Li: Methodology, Writing – Review and Editing; Ira Kantrowitz-Gordon: Methodology, Writing – Review and Editing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This study was made possible by data obtained from a randomized clinical trial, which was supported by National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health in the United States under [Grant R01-CA-114–561] with PI being Dr. Frances Lewis. The first author was supported by China Scholarship Council and Hester Mclaws dissertation scholarship provided by University of Washington School of Nursing.