Dyadic coping after cancer diagnosis – a longitudinal cluster analysis

We analyzed data from 418 patients in a partnership (mean age 61 years, 55.3% men, 84.8% married). Most prevalent cancers were prostate cancer (25.6%), skin cancer (17.5%) and breast cancer (16.3%). One cluster (33.5%) reported a stable high trajectory of coping behavior, indicating good coping behavior. It had the following characteristics: male (62.9%), regularly employed (57.9%), prostate cancer (34.3%) and childless (27.1%). The remaining sample contained a cluster with increasing coping behavior (34.7%) and another with decreasing coping behavior (31.8%). Lack of regular employment, having children and generalized anxiety are significantly associated with worsening coping behavior. This study is one of the first to examine DC trajectories in a large sample of cancer patients in the early phase after diagnosis. It is essential to understand markers such as psychological stress or family and work-related issues to optimize clinical and psycho-oncological outcomes and facilitate the support or maintenance of couple-related disease management in the long term.