Couples' coping skills help reduce depression in GI cancer survivors

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Dyadic coping is a potentially modifiable protective factor in the psychological health of middle-aged and older gastrointestinal cancer survivors, according to a study recently published in the European Journal of Cancer. Silan Yang, from the First Hospital of Jiaxing in China, and colleagues examined the relationships and pathways between fear of cancer recurrence, dyadic coping and depression in gastrointestinal cancer survivors.

The analysis included questionnaire responses from 235 middle-aged and older gastrointestinal cancer survivors. The researchers found that fear of cancer recurrence affected depression through dyadic coping. Greater recurrence fear was associated with poorer dyadic coping (r = −0.390), while better dyadic coping was associated with lower depression scores (r = −0.408).

Recurrence fear was also positively associated with depression (r = 0.431). The direct effect of recurrence fear on depression was 0.083, while the indirect and total effects were 0.028 and 0.111, respectively. Dyadic coping mediated 25.23% of the relationship in negative emotions.

"These findings suggest that psychologically qualified nurses/psychotherapists should assess the coping types of spouses and tailor interventions such as coping skills training and cognitive existential couples therapy to improve gastrointestinal cancer survivors' dyadic coping," the authors write. Silan Yang et al, Fear of cancer recurrence and depression among middle-aged and elderly survivors with gastrointestinal cancer: a mediation of dyadic coping cross-sectional study in China, European Journal of Cancer Care (2026). DOI: 10.48130/ejcc-0026-0003 MA in English, copy editor since 2021 with experience in higher education and health content.

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