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Updated: Feb 9, 2026

Studying Triple Negative Breast Cancer Using Orthotopic Breast Cancer Model
Published on: March 20, 2020
Naturalistically observing noncancer conversations among couples coping with breast cancer
Megan L Robbins1, Alexander Karan1, Ana María López2
1Psychology Department, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
Objective:
This study revealed the landscape of noncancer conversations, identifying topics and types of everyday conversation, and examined links to psychological adjustment among couples coping with breast cancer.
Methods:
Fifty-two couples wore the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) over 1 weekend and self-reported psychological adjustment while patients were on treatment. The EAR sampled 50 s of ambient sound every 9 minutes to estimate the frequency of noncancer conversation and reveal topics and types of conversation.
Results:
Analyses revealed noncancer conversations comprised over 93% of conversations. The most common topic discussed was people. Substantive conversation was associated with better, while emotional disclosure was associated with worse, well-being for patients, but not spouses.
Conclusions:
Results revealed that ordinary conversations are frequent among couples who face breast cancer, and they are associated with patients' psychological adjustment, providing a foundation for potential interventions for coping with cancer that do not focus on illness.
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