Psychosocial variables associated with husbands' adjustment three months following wives' diagnosis of breast cancer.

Background: Husbands of women with breast cancer may experience adjustment difficulties. We examined psychosocial predictors of husbands' adjustment to their wives' breast cancer 3 months following diagnosis.

Methods: Women (N = 45) with Stage I or II breast cancer who were 3 months postdiagnosis and their husbands completed measures of adjustment, coping, marital adjustment, and quality of life.

Results: Multiple regression analyses showed husbands' avoidant coping and wives' adjustment accounted for approximately 54% of the variance in husbands' adjustment.

Conclusions: Further research on predictors of husbands' adjustment following wives' diagnoses of breast cancer is needed to inform intervention efforts.