Effect of Marital Self-Disclosure Intervention on Fear of Cancer Recurrence and Dyadic Coping Ability Among Gastric Cancer Patients and Their Spouses: A Quasi-Experimental Study

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Background: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) may extend beyond the individual patient, affecting spouses and the couple’s psychological adjustment and dyadic coping. Therefore, interventions that address both patients and their spouses and promote effective communication and dyadic coping may offer a promising approach to alleviating FCR and improving psychological well-being. Objective: This research seeks to evaluate how a marital self-disclosure intervention influences FCR and enhances dyadic coping in gastric cancer patients and their partners. Methods: We undertook a quasi-experimental study from October 2022 to April 2024. Participants in the experimental group completed 4 phases of the marital self-disclosure (MSD) intervention after disclosure guidance; the intervention included verbal and written self-disclosure. Participants in the control group received usual psychological care. We evaluated patients at baseline, 8 weeks, and 16 weeks. The primary outcome was the FoP-Q-SF score for patients. Secondary outcomes were the FoP-Q-SF scores for partners and the Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI). Results: The experimental and control groups each included 42 patients, with 38 and 36 participants completing the 16-week follow-up, respectively. The results showed statistically significant inter-group, time, and interaction effects of FoP-Q-SF scores for Patients and Partners (p < 0.05). The inter-group, time, and interaction effects of the DCI on the scores of the five dimensions and overall were all statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusions: It is essential to reduce FCR and enhance dyadic coping ability among individuals with gastric cancer. This research demonstrated that the MSD intervention was more effective than routine nursing care in alleviating FCR.

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