Dyadic coping and fear of cancer progression among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and their spouses in China: An actor-partner interdependence model.

Objective: This study examined the relationship between dyadic coping and fear of cancer progression (FoP) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and their spouses to provide insights into their interrelations and inform future couple-based practice. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 305 HCC patients and their spousal dyads. FoP and dyadic coping were measured using the 12-item FoP Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF) and Dyadic Coping Inventory, respectively, and administered to both patients and spouses. The actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) was applied via structural equation modeling to evaluate the relationships between different dyadic coping and FoP dimensions. Results: Of the participants, 54.1% of patients and 67.2% of spouses experienced high FoP (FoP-Q-SF ​≥ ​34). Compared with patients, spouses experienced more severe FoPs. Based on the APIM, patients' and spouses' dyadic coping strategies exhibited significant actor and partner effects on FoP. Particularly, positive dimensions of dyadic coping were negatively associated with FoP, whereas negative dimensions of dyadic coping were positively associated with FoP. Patients seemed to benefit more from positive dyadic coping than from their spouses regarding FoP reduction. Conclusions: Spouses had a higher FoP than patients with HCC. While dyadic coping lowered FoP in patients, it had a limited influence on spouses. Since negative coping emerged as a shared risk factor, clinical interventions have to focus on lowering maladaptive coping among partners.