General and illness-specific adjustment to cancer: relationship to marital status and marital quality

This study examined the relationship between psychological adjustment of adults with cancer and two marital variables: married versus unmarried and high versus low marital quality. Eighty-six married and 46 unmarried adults with cancer completed general and illness-specific measures of psychological adjustment. In general, men and subjects with low marital quality reported more depression and anxiety, a less positive health care orientation, and more illness-induced family difficulties than did women and subjects with high marital quality; unmarried subjects reported more dysphoric thoughts and feelings related to the their illness than did married subjects; and unmarried men reported more disruption in work activities and extended family relationships than did unmarried females or married subjects. Moreover, a greater percentage of unmarried subjects and subjects with low marital quality reported clinically elevated levels of symptomatology compared to those with high marital quality. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.