A satisfying romantic relationship may improve breast cancer survivors'
health
Study finds link between happy partnership, reduced stress and lower inflammation

Date:
June 3, 2020
Source:
Ohio State University
Summary:
Breast cancer survivors in romantic relationships who feel happy
and satisfied with their partners may be at lower risk for a host
of health problems, new research suggests.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Breast cancer survivors in romantic relationships who feel happy and
satisfied with their partners may be at lower risk for a host of health problems, new research suggests.


==========================================================================
The findings suggest that the relationship itself wasn't the cure-all,
however.

Women who were satisfied in their relationships also reported lower psychological stress -- and these two factors were associated with lower markers for inflammation in their blood.

Keeping inflammation at bay is the key to promoting health generally, and especially in breast cancer survivors, researchers say. When we're sick
or injured, inflammation promotes healing. But elevated inflammation over
time increases survivors' risk for cancer recurrence and other illnesses.

"It's important for survivors, when they're going through this uncertain
time, to feel comfortable with their partners and feel cared for and understood, and also for their partners to feel comfortable and share
their own concerns," said Rosie Shrout, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral scholar in the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research
at The Ohio State University.

"Our findings suggest that this close partnership can boost their bond as
a couple and also promote survivors' health even during a very stressful
time, when they're dealing with cancer." The research is published
online in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.



========================================================================== Shrout is a relationship scientist working in the lab of Janice
Kiecolt-Glaser, professor of psychiatry and psychology and director of
the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research. For this work, Shrout
conducted a secondary analysis of data from a previous Kiecolt-Glaser
study assessing fatigue and immune function in breast cancer survivors.

The 139 women with an average age of 55 completed self-report
questionnaires and provided blood samples at three visits: upon
recruitment within one to three months of their cancer diagnosis
and during two follow-up visits six and 18 months after their cancer
treatment ended.

One survey assessed relationship satisfaction by asking the women to
report their degree of happiness, the level of warmth and comfort they
felt with their partner, how rewarding the relationship was and their
overall satisfaction. The other questionnaire was used to evaluate their
level of perceived psychological stress over the previous week.

Researchers analyzed the blood samples for levels of four proteins that
promote inflammation throughout the body even when there is no need
for an immune response. This kind of chronic inflammation is linked
to numerous health problems, including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, arthritis and Alzheimer's disease, as well as the frailty and functional decline that can accompany aging.

The findings showed a clear trend in the women as a group: The more
satisfied they felt about their romantic relationships, the lower their perceived stress and the lower their inflammation.



==========================================================================
The design of the study allowed researchers to compare the group of
women to each other and also gauge changes in each woman individually.

"This gave us a unique perspective -- we found that when a woman was particularly satisfied with her relationship, she had lower stress and
lower inflammation than usual -- lower than her own average," Shrout
said. "At a specific visit, if she was satisfied with her partner, her
own inflammation was lower at that visit than at a different visit when
she was less satisfied." Shrout noted the study suggests that health professionals who care for breast cancer patients might want to keep an
eye out for potential signs that their patients are struggling at home.

"The research shows the importance of fostering survivors'
relationships. Some survivors might need help connecting with their
partners during a stressful time, so that means it's important for part
of their screening and treatment to take the relationship into account
and include a reference to couples counseling when appropriate,"
she said. "Doing so could promote their health over the long run."
Though the findings in this study related to breast cancer survivors,
Shrout said a strong romantic relationship would likely be helpful to
people navigating the uncertainty associated with other serious illnesses
by lowering their stress.

There are more sides to the relationship story: Previous work led by
Kiecolt- Glaser, senior author of this study, has shown that marital
conflict can have detrimental effects on health. And breast cancer
survivors who are single may benefit from drawing on a network of family
and friends for support.

"Some of the research would suggest it's better to be alone than in a
troubled relationship," Kiecolt-Glaser said. "A good marriage offers
good support, but the broader message for a breast cancer survivor who
is not married is to seek support in other relationships.

"In general, one thing that happens when people are stressed is we tend
to isolate ourselves, so seeking support when we're stressed is one of
the more beneficial things that people can do."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Ohio_State_University. Original
written by Emily Caldwell. Note: Content may be edited for style and
length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. M. Rosie Shrout, Megan E. Renna, Annelise A. Madison, Catherine M.

Alfano, Stephen P. Povoski, Adele M. Lipari, Doreen M. Agnese,
Lisa D.

Yee, William E. Carson, Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser. Relationship
satisfaction predicts lower stress and inflammation in breast cancer
survivors: A longitudinal study of within-person and between-person
effects. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2020; 118: 104708 DOI: 10.1016/
j.psyneuen.2020.104708 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200603194436.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200603194436.htm

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