title: Physical and mental health trajectories of cancer patients and caregivers across the year post-diagnosis: a dyadic investigation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evidence suggests interdependence between cancer patients' and their caregivers' physical and mental health. However, the extent to which caregivers' health relates to their patients' recovery, or patients' health affects their caregivers' outcomes, is largely unknown. This dyadic investigation reports the relations between cancer patients' and their caregivers' physical and mental health trajectories during the year following diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-two colorectal cancer patient-caregiver dyads completed questionnaires at 2, 6 and 12 months post-diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-reported physical and mental health using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form Health Survey-12.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients reported improved physical health over the year following their diagnosis, whereas caregivers reported declining physical health. Patients with lower mental health at diagnosis had stagnated physical health recovery. Caregivers' physical health declined most noticeably among those reporting low mental health at diagnosis and whose patients reported low physical health at diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest targeting health interventions to cancer patients and caregivers reporting poor mental health at diagnosis may mitigate their long-term physical morbidity. Limited evidence of dyadic interdependence between patients' and caregivers' physical and mental health trajectories suggests future studies are warranted to identify psychosocial and medical characteristics moderating the relations between patients' and caregivers' health.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of Miami , Coral Gables , FL , USA.|b Department of Psychiatry , Massachusetts General Hospital , Boston , MA , USA.
authors.forename: Kelly M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Shaffer
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of Miami , Coral Gables , FL , USA.|c Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences , Stanford University , Stanford , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Youngmee
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of Miami , Coral Gables , FL , USA.|c Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences , Stanford University , Stanford , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Charles S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Carver
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: actor partner interdependence model; cancer; caregiving; latent growth model; mental health; physical health