title: Young couples' experiences of breast cancer during hormone therapy: an interpretative phenomenological dyadic analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Young women are confronted with the same consequences of cancer as older women are. In addition, they face problems specifically related to their age, such as their children's education and their family responsibilities, marital relationships, and career issues.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to identify the functioning profiles of young couples confronted with hormone therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was both qualitative and dyadic. Interviews with 11 couples revealed 5 themes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Initially, the partners reported increased intimacy and mutual support; however, during hormone therapy, a divergence developed between the patients and their partners. The partners wished for the couple to resume a normal life. The patients' loved ones, also helpful in the beginning, were tempted to promote this resumption of normalcy, with the risk that the patients' suffering would no longer be acknowledged. The risk of cancer recurrence appeared to immobilize the patients, who were unable to adopt a long-term perspective. Finally, the experience of the disease led the participants to reorganize their priorities and promoted self-centering.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Breast cancer affects both the patient and her loved ones. Future research should focus on qualitative extensions to other stages of cancer treatment and quantitative studies to measure the phenomena revealed in the current work.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cancer and its treatment have impacts on the patient and her marriage; therefore, the focus for the clinical care should be on the couple rather than just the patient. Additionally, our findings suggest new areas of psychological dyadic counseling for cancer patients and their partners.
authors.affiliation: Lille Nord de France University, Lille, France. pascal.antoine@univ-lille3.fr
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Antoine
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vanlemmens
authors.forename: Emmanuelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fournier
authors.forename: Mélanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trocmé
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Christophe
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000451:nursing; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D013629:Tamoxifen