The Relationship between Positive Feeling towards Spouse and Hope to Live in Women with Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women. According to studies, cancer patients who hope to live longer will live longer. Living hope relies on life satisfaction in general as well as on marital satisfaction and social support. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between positive feelings towards spouse and living hope in women with breast cancer.

This was a descriptive correlational study. The study population consisted of 125 women with breast cancer who were supported by two charities in Tehran (Iran) during 2018. The subjects were selected by simple random sampling. Data were collected using the Adult State Hope Scale (developed by Snyder et al.) and the Positive Feelings Towards Spouse questionnaire (developed by O'Leary et al.). Obtained data were analyzed with Pearson correlation test and multivariate regression analysis using SPSS software (version 21).

There was a significant correlation between positive feelings towards spouse and hope to live (P<0.01). In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between the subscale of feeling towards being with spouse and hope to live (P<0.01).

The results emphasize on the relationship between positive feelings towards spouse and hope to live in women with breast cancer. Therefore, it seems important to offer counseling and couple therapy services to reduce individual and interpersonal psychological distress to prevent aggravation of marital problems during such stressful and critical period.