For African-American families in which a man is diagnosed with a prostate cancer, there are unmet psychosocial needs that affect survivorship, family relationships, and social interactions, according to new research.
“African-Americans continue to experience higher morbidity and mortality rates from prostate cancer and lower survival rates when compared to men of other ethnic and racial groups,” said study lead author Brian M. Rivers, PhD, MPH, assistant member of Health Outcomes & Behavior.
To better understand the factors guiding African-American men and their families through the prostate cancer survivorship experience, researchers studied the following issues and their combinations:
- Stage of cancer at diagnosis
- Tumor biology
- Insurance coverage
- Lack of prostate cancer knowledge
- Mistrust, fear, and lack of culturally appropriate interventions
- Inadequate communication between patient and healthcare provider
“Prostate cancer treatment not only impacts the survivor, but also the primary caregiver and family members,” Rivers said. “Our aim was to examine the role of sociocultural factors on the psychosocial impact among African-American prostate cancer survivors.”
Researchers interviewed 12 African-American couples regarding quality-of-life issues. These issues included physical and spiritual well-being, caregiver and patient communication, and communication between spouses. The results, recently published in the Journal of Cancer Education, showed that African-American survivors of prostate cancer desired more support for dealing with fears of recurrence. Spouses of survivors reported fears of not having enough information. Men described having limited conversations with their wives regarding their cancer and treatment. At the same time, two-thirds of the spouses “did not force” conversations about cancer with their husbands for fear of causing stress and anxiety within the marriage. Survivors also reported that discussing their feelings about erectile dysfunction and other physical changes with their wives was difficult.
“Several findings from this study point to the need for culturally appropriate interventions that include the role and impact of spirituality, better information for couples regarding symptoms and symptom management, and more effective communication paths,” concluded the researchers. “Future interventions should target the late and long-term effect of prostate cancer treatment and should be expanded. Interventions should include marital/family care with a focus on information and the skills to help manage family and marriage concerns in communication, teamwork and intimate relationships.”
Source: Moffitt Cancer Center.