Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the relationships among cancer-related communication, family resilience, and demoralization among patients with gynecological cancer and their spouses. METHODS: A total of 600 pairs of patients with gynecological cancer and their spouses were selected from four tertiary hospitals in Anhui Province between March 2023 and October 2024. Cancer-Related Communication Problems Scale, Family Hardiness Index, and Demoralization Scale II were used for the questionnaire survey. An actor-partner interdependence mediation model was employed to analyze the relationships among cancer-related communication, family resilience, and demoralization. RESULTS: Cancer-related communication directly and positively predicted demoralization in both patients and their spouses. It also indirectly affected demoralization through family resilience. A significant partner-actor effect was observed in patients, suggesting that cancer-related communication from spouses positively influenced demoralization in their partners, mediated by family resilience (B = 0.074, P < 0.001). A significant partner-actor effect was observed in spouses (B = 0.070, P < 0.001), where cancer-related communication from patients positively affected demoralization in spouses, mediated by their family resilience. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights that cancer-related communication, and family resilience of patients and their caregivers are key factors that can be considered for improving demoralization. It also partially confirmed the interdependence of patients with gynecological cancer and their caregivers.