ArticleBMJ open2026
Relationship between positive psychological traits, perceived spousal support and head and neck cancer-specific health-related quality of life: a cross-sectional study in oncology treatment settings.
Article in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
objectivesData on how positive psychological traits and perceived spousal support are related to head and neck cancer (HNC)-specific health-related quality of life (QOL) using validated instruments in the Malay language in oncology settings are scarce. Hence, this study: (1) evaluated the association between demographic and clinical characteristics, optimism, posttraumatic growth (PTG), hope, perceived spousal support and HNC specific health-related QOL; and (2) assessed the mediation associations of PTG, perceived spousal support and hope on the relationship between optimism and HNC specific health-related QOL among a cohort of patients with HNC.
designCross-sectional study. SETTINGS: This study was conducted in two tertiary referral centres for oncology treatment in Malaysia.
participantsData were collected from a total of 240 patients with HNC. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was HNC specific health-related QOL assessed with the 35-item European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life-Head and Neck Module, while the secondary outcomes were optimism measured with the Life Orientation Test-Revised, PTG measured with the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Short Form, perceived spousal support evaluated with the Sources of Social Support Scale and hope assessed with the Dispositional Hope Scale.
resultsHigher perceived spousal support (B=-0.454, 95% CI -0.781 to -0.126, p=0.007) and optimism (B=-2.001, 95% CI -2.660 to -1.342, p<0.001) were significantly associated with greater HNC specific health-related QOL but not PTG (p=0.772) and hope (p=0.081). In addition, those with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and those on chemotherapy alone had significantly greater HNC specific health-related QOL than those with other HNC tumours (B=-8.586, 95% CI 2.927 to 14.245, p=0.003) and those who combined surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, respectively (B=-10.864, 95% CI -18.897 to -2.831, p=0.008). Meanwhile, greater perceived spousal support partially mediated the association of optimism and improved HNC-specific health-related QOL but not PTG and hope.
conclusionOptimism and perceived spousal support may have a positive association with HNC-specific health-related QOL.
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