Changes in family relationships affect the development of chemotherapy-related nausea symptoms

This study examined the effect of changes in family relationships (cohesion, expression, and conflict) on patients' physical adjustment to chemotherapy and whether the effect would differ depending on the patient's age and gender. Two hundred thirty-three married cancer patients completed questionnaires consisting of measures of family relationships and chemotherapy-related nausea symptoms, at two assessments. Results revealed that the prevalence of nausea symptoms was related to the degree of conflict in the family, depending on the patient's age and gender. An increase in family conflict was associated with an increased duration of post-treatment nausea and greater severity of anticipatory nausea for younger adult patients but not for older adult patients. An increase in family conflict was also associated with a greater severity of anticipatory nausea for female patients but not for male patients. These findings suggest that intervention programs to help reduce family conflict may be especially beneficial for younger adult and female patients.