Partners of cancer patients: Part I. Impact, adjustment, and coping across the illness trajectory

Because the importance of partners' role in determining the adjustment of patients with cancer has become increasingly evident, partners have become the target of studies more extensively in recent years. It also is apparent that partners often suffer more psychological distress from the impact of the diagnosis than patients do. This two-part review identifies three areas of research that have not been integrated in the literature: (1) the impact of cancer on the partner across different stages of the illness trajectory, (2) gender differences in partners' reactions and adjustment, and (3) psychosocial interventions for partners. Part I focuses on the experience of cancer patients' partners, how the illness affects them, and how they adjust to and cope with the illness. Part II will review the interventions that have been developed to help patients' partners and conclude with suggestions for providing interventions specifically tailored for different populations of partners.