title: The Experiences of Chinese Couples Living With Cancer: A Focus Group Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  With the research focus on family caregiving shifting from the individual to the dyadic level, there is a need to explore cancer dyads' concerns and needs and to understand their experiences of coping together with cancer.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To objectives of this study were to gain a better understanding of the experience of couples living with cancer and to explore cancer couples' concerns and needs related to the caring role and experience of spousal caregivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  The focus group study design with a purposeful sampling strategy was adopted. We conducted 4 focus group interviews with 11 cancer patients and 17 spousal caregivers in a hospital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four themes and 15 subthemes emerged after a conventional content analysis. The 4 themes include communication dynamics, living with changes, negative and positive impacts, and network of support. Based on the findings, we drew a preliminary conceptualization of the couples' experience of coping and living with cancer as a whole.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provided insights to healthcare professionals regarding daily struggles of couples living with cancer and the development of intervention programs to support these couples.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Healthcare professionals need to (1) be sensitive to the couples' needs and concerns, (2) offer sufficient and useful information to couples who are coping with cancer, (3) encourage and help spousal caregivers to take care of themselves while coping with the changes in their spouses, and (4) instill realistic hopes in couples and help them to sustain a positive attitude with a focus on the future, not just on the present.
authors.affiliation: Author Affiliations: Wuxi Medical School, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province (Ms Li); School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon Hong Kong (Dr Chiang and Prof Loke); and Wuxi People's Hospital, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province (Mss X. Xu and Y. Xu), China.
authors.forename: Qiuping
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Vico Chung Lim
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Xifeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Yinghua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Alice Yuen
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Loke
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support