title: Core concerns of couples living with early stage breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although clinicians and scientists have a growing awareness of breast cancer as a couple's joint experience, no one has studied the concerns couples choose to address with a professional coach to better manage the impact of the cancer. The purpose of the current study was to describe illness-related concerns couples worked on together with masters-educated professional coaches during the first eleven months of the wife's treatment for early stage breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Intervention sessions were conducted with twenty-nine couples in their homes in the Pacific Northwest.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained from single occasion case intensive interviews with couples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Inductive coding of the audiorecorded intervention sessions yielded four domains of core concerns: dealing with tension in the relationship; needing to be together as a couple; wondering about the children; and managing the threat of breast cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Over half the couples chose to address and do something about the stress, tension and dissatisfaction they were feeling in their relationship that each attributed to the breast cancer. Future family-focused cancer care needs to include services that assist couples to address these core concerns.
authors.affiliation: University of Washington School of Nursing, Seattle, WA 98195-7262, USA. mesh@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Mary Ellen
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Shands
authors.forename: Frances Marcus
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sinsheimer
authors.forename: Barbara B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Cochrane
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012917:Social Adjustment