Psychological Well-being and Private and Professional Psychosocial Support After Prostate Cancer Surgery: A Follow-up at 3, 12, and 24 Months After Surgery

Background Cross-sectional studies indicate that a cancer patient's partner is important in regard to the patient's psychological well-being. This has yet to be investigated in a large prospective setting. Objective To investigate types of psychosocial support and whether men improved their well-being at 12 and 24 mo after radical prostatectomy. Design, setting, and participants In a group of 1446 men participating in the Laparoscopic Prostatectomy Robot Open (LAPPRO) trial reporting low well-being 3 mo after surgery and who also had a more limited social network, we investigated predictors of change in well-being at 12 and 24 mo. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis Predictors of outcome were analyzed using log-binomial regression and forward regression. Results and limitations No one reported high well-being 3 mo after surgery. Of 1370 men reporting low well-being at 3 mo, 479 had improved to high well-being at 12 mo. At least one supportive person increased men's chances of improved well-being at 12 mo compared with 3 mo after surgery (relative risk [RR]: 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10–1.72), as did partner support (RR: 1.91; 95% CI, 1.28–2.86). The more people available for emotional and practical support, the more likely men were to improve their well-being at 12 and 24 mo, especially between 3 and 12 mo (p < 0.0001). A limitation is that RRs were influenced by variations in the metrics of patient-reported well-being. Conclusions The private network played a critical role regarding improved well-being. Having a partner and people to confide in within one's private network bettered patients’ chances of improved well-being. Helping men mobilize support within their private network early on may be important in the recovery process. Patient summary The link between one's private social network and well-being after prostate cancer surgery remains unclear. We investigated the role of support with many patients having undergone prostate cancer surgery. We found that the private social network was critical to men's well-being.