Psychosocial Issues among African American Couples Surviving Prostate Cancer: Implications for Intervention Development

Background: Spouses play a critical role in the quality of life for prostate cancer survivors. Although some studies have found wives of prostate cancer survivors experience a greater amount of psychological distress compared to their husbands, minimal research has examined the psychosocial issues encountered by African American couples surviving prostate cancer. To address this gap in the science, this study qualitatively explored the most salient psychosocial dimensions of quality of life among African American prostate cancer survivors and their spouses. Methods: Twelve African American heterosexual couples were recruited from a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center registry and a state-based non-profit organization to participate in individual interviews. The interview guide was structured according to Ferrell's Quality of Life Conceptual Model, which allowed for cultural domain identification. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a combination of hand coding and Atlas.ti software. Results: Common themes emerged regarding the psychosocial needs of African American couples within the behavioral, social, psychological, and spiritual domains. Experiential discordance and concordance were identified between the prostate cancer survivors and their spouses. To manage the cancer experience, multiple behavioral and lifestyle modifications were reported. Social support and spirituality were determined to be essential coping strategies for participants. Conclusions: Cancer survivorship and quality of life are of growing interest and concern as more families are surviving cancer. The study findings will assist in the development and testing of culturally appropriate community education resources and interventions to minimize the impact of the burden of prostate cancer among African Americans.