Intimate Relationships and Cancer

This chapter discusses the role of intimate partners in psychosocial adaptation to cancer, in conjunction with the key challenges to doing research in this area. Focusing on a review of recent empirical studies addressing the role of intimate relationships in adaptation, the authors divide their review into three sections. The first focuses on traditional approaches to understanding intimate relationships and cancer through examination of the role of social support. The second centers on nontraditional approaches focusing on the role of relationship processes. The third focuses on psychological interventions that include significant others.