Couples therapy at end of life

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Psychology
• Oncology

Background:

• Couples facing a terminal illness diagnosis experience unique psychological distress.
• End-of-life care often focuses on the individual patient, potentially overlooking relational needs.
• Limited research exists on therapeutic interventions for couples coping with terminal illness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of couples therapy for partners where one has a terminal illness.
• To assess the impact of couples therapy on patient distress and partner worry.
• To evaluate changes in relationship quality during end-of-life care.

Main Methods:

• A preliminary, uncontrolled study involving nine couples where one partner had a terminal illness (prognosis <18 months).
• Couples received eight sessions of couples therapy.
• Follow-up data were collected from available participants.

Main Results:

• Significant reductions in patient distress regarding dying were observed.
• A decrease in partners' worry about their terminally ill partner was noted.
• Improvements in overall relationship quality were reported by participating couples.

Conclusions:

• Couples therapy shows potential as an adjunct to end-of-life care for terminally ill patients and their partners.
• Despite small sample size, findings support further investigation into couples therapy's role in palliative care.
• Addressing relational dynamics can be beneficial for couples navigating terminal illness.