title: The Impact of Husbands' Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Participation in a Behavioral Lifestyle Intervention on Spouses' Lives and Relationships With Their Partners.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A prostate cancer diagnosis affects the patient and his spouse. Partners of cancer patients are often the first to respond to the demands related to their husband's illness and thus are likely to be the most supportive individuals available to the patients. It is therefore important to examine how spouses react and handle their husband's prostate cancer diagnosis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to explore how the prostate cancer diagnosis and the participation in their partners' behavioral lifestyle intervention program influenced the spouses' life, their relationship with their partner, and how they handle the situation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interviews were recorded with 8 spouses of potential low-risk prostate cancer patients on active surveillance as part of a clinical self-management lifestyle trial.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 3 phases that the spouses went through: feeling insecure about their situation, coping strategies to deal with these insecurities, and feeling reassured.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The framework of a clinical trial should include mobilizing spousal empowerment so that they can take on an active and meaningful role in relation to their husband's disease. The observations here substantiate that the framework of active surveillance in combination with a lifestyle intervention in 1 specific prostate cancer clinical trial can mobilize spousal empowerment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Creating well-designed clinical patient programs that actively involve the spouse appears to promote empowerment (meaning, self-efficacy, positive impact, and self-determination) in spouses. Spousal participation in clinical patient programs can give spouses relief from anxieties while recognizing them as a vital support for their husband.
authors.affiliation: Author Affiliations: Diet, Genes and Environment, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen (DrsHansen, Tjønneland, and Rossen andMsHansen- Nord); Department of Clinical Medicine,Department ofUrology, AarhusUniversity Hospital, AarhusUniversity (Dr Michael Borre); Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital (MsMette Borre); SocialMedicine, Department of Public Health,University of Copenhagen (Dr Kayser); Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University (Dr Larsen); and Active Institute, Aarhus, Denmark (Dr Larsen); World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Nutrition, Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Greece (Dr Trichopoulou); Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York (Dr Boffetta).
authors.forename: Sine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rossen
authors.forename: Nete Sloth
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Hansen-Nord
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kayser
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borre
authors.forename: Mette
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borre
authors.forename: Ryan Godsk
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trichopoulou
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boffetta
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tjønneland
authors.forename: Rikke Dalgaard
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Hansen
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome