Body acceptance and spousal emotional relationship in psychological adjustment to breast cancer survival

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between psychological adjustment to cancer, body acceptance, and emotional relationships with spouses among breast cancer survivors. Participants were divided into two groups based on the time elapsed since their diagnosis: past five years (n=124) or over five years ago (n=107). The results revealed that body acceptance was crucial for psychological adjustment to cancer in both groups. Moreover, in the latter group, the emotional relationship with the spouse promoted a calm and stable acceptance of the body, which enhanced their psychological adjustment to cancer.