| Title |
Are Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Related to Psychological Distress and Communication in Couples Facing Lung Cancer? A Dyadic Approach
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Mindfulness, September 2016
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s12671-016-0602-0 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Melanie P. J. Schellekens, Johan C. Karremans, Miep A. van der Drift, Johan Molema, Desiree G. M. van den Hurk, Judith B. Prins, Anne E. M. Speckens |
| Abstract |
Lung cancer patients and their spouses report high rates of distress. Due to the increasing popularity of and evidence for mindfulness-based interventions in cancer, mindfulness and self-compassion have been identified as potentially helpful skills when coping with cancer. This dyadic study examined how mindfulness and self-compassion are related to psychological distress and communication about cancer in couples facing lung cancer. Using the actor-partner interdependence model, self-reported mindfulness, self-compassion, psychological distress and communication about cancer were analyzed in a cross-sectional sample of 88 couples facing lung cancer. Regarding psychological distress, no difference was found between patients and spouses. In both partners, own levels of mindfulness (B = -0.19, p = .002) and self-compassion (B = -0.45, p < .001) were negatively related to own distress levels. At a dyadic level, own self-compassion was less strongly associated with distress if the partner reported high self-compassion (B = 0.03, p = .049). Regarding communication about cancer, patients reported to communicate more openly with their partner than with spouses. However, after controlling for gender, this difference was no longer significant. In both partners, own self-compassion (B = 0.03, p = .010) was significantly associated with own communication while mindfulness was not. A trend showed that mindfulness of the partner was related to more open communication in the individual (B = 0.01, p = .080). These findings give a first indication that mindfulness and self-compassion skills may go beyond the individual and could impact couple functioning. Future research should examine whether couples facing (lung) cancer may benefit from programs in which mindfulness and self-compassion are cultivated. |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 164 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 164 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 27 | 16% |
| Student > Master | 23 | 14% |
| Student > Bachelor | 15 | 9% |
| Researcher | 14 | 9% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 14 | 9% |
| Other | 29 | 18% |
| Unknown | 42 | 26% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 85 | 52% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 9 | 5% |
| Social Sciences | 9 | 5% |
| Nursing and Health Professions | 5 | 3% |
| Business, Management and Accounting | 2 | 1% |
| Other | 5 | 3% |
| Unknown | 49 | 30% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 08 May 2017.
All research outputs
#20,420,242
of 22,971,207 outputs
Outputs from Mindfulness
#1,251
of 1,380 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#292,455
of 335,207 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Mindfulness
#33
of 39 outputs
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