Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Sep;27(3):526-549.
doi: 10.1111/pere.12330. Epub 2020 Sep 7.

Attachment Style, Partner Communication, and Physical Well-Being among Couples Coping with Cancer

Katherine Ramos  1   2   3 , Shelby L Langer  4   5 , Michael Todd  6 , Joan M Romano  7 , Neeta Ghosh  8 , Francis J Keefe  2   9 , Donald H Baucom  10 , Karen L Syrjala  8 , Laura S Porter  2
Affiliations

Attachment Style, Partner Communication, and Physical Well-Being among Couples Coping with Cancer

Katherine Ramos et al. Pers Relatsh. 2020 Sep.

Abstract

Attachment styles may influence interpersonal strategies used to cope with stress. We examined links between attachment style, communicative behaviors, and physical well-being among 166 couples coping with cancer. Results of actor-partner interdependence mediation models indicated that insecure attachment styles were associated with greater self-report of two different and seemingly contradictory communicative behaviors (disclosure and holding back), which in turn were associated with poorer physical well-being. These effects were intrapersonal for both patients and spouses, with the exception of anxious attachment and holding back for spouses. They were also interpersonal in that spouse insecure attachment was associated with poorer patient physical well-being through spouse communication (greater holding back and disclosure). Couple-based communication interventions to support adjustment should consider attachment style.

Keywords: actor–partner interdependence model; attachment; couple’s communication; dyadic coping; physical health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Actor-Partner Interdependence Modeling Path Diagram. In red, A= Actor-Actor Mediation Paths; In blue, B= Actor-Partner Mediation Paths.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
APIM Results: Anxious Attachment, Holding Back, and Physical Well-being. Solid lines denote significant paths; dotted lines, non-significant. Colored triangles denote significant mediation paths.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
APIM Results: Anxious Attachment, Disclosure, and Physical Well-being. Solid lines denote significant paths; dotted lines, non-significant. Colored triangles denote significant mediation paths.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
APIM Results: Avoidant Attachment, Holding Back, and Physical Well-Being. Solid lines denote significant paths; dotted lines, non-significant. Colored triangles denote significant mediation paths.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
APIM Results: Avoidant Attachment, Disclosure, and Physical Well-Being. Solid lines denote significant paths; dotted lines, non-significant. Colored triangles denote significant mediation paths.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Badr H (2017). New frontiers in couple-based interventions in cancer care: Refining the prescription for spousal communication. Acta Oncologica, 56, 139–145. 10.1080/0284186X.2016.1266079 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Badr H, & Krebs P (2013). A systematic review and meta‐analysis of psychosocial interventions for couples coping with cancer. Psycho‐Oncology, 22, 1688–1704. 10.1002/pon.3200 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Baider L, & Bengel J (2001). Cancer and the spouse: Gender-related differences in dealing with health care and illness. Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology, 40, 115–123. 10.1016/S1040-8428(01)00137-8 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baston CD (1991). Self‐other merging and the empathy‐altruism hypothesis: reply to Neuberg et al. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 517–522.
    1. Bowlby J (1969/1982). Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Basic Books.