A qualitative study on the dyadic coping experience of human papillomavirus-infected patients of childbearing age and their spouses.

Background: China's recent policy initiatives and dedication of resources to heighten the public's awareness of cancer risks have led to increased cervical cancer screening and testing for human papillomavirus (HPV) which has resulted in a greater number of people diagnosed with HPV. The psychological stress experienced by women of childbearing age who are infected with HPV is also felt by their spouses, as the close relationship between spouses results in intertwined psychological distress and health statuses. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the dyadic coping experience of HPV-infected patients of childbearing age and their spouses in China and to provide a research basis for marital interventions for the disease.

Method: From July 2022 to January 2023, we used a purposive sampling method to select 11 pairs of HPV-infected patients of childbearing age and their spouses from a tertiary hospital. We conducted in-depth interviews with the patients and their spouses and analyzed the data using Colaizzi's seven-step method.

Results: We identified three main themes and eight subthemes: (a) stress perception (including negative psychological reactions, emotional relationship deterioration, and family social role imbalance), (b) stress communication (including enhancing communication awareness and changing communication methods), and (c) stress adjustment (including supporting each other emotionally, facing the disease together, and seeking social support).

Conclusion: Health care professionals should assess the stress experienced by patients and their spouses. Moreover, they should encourage them to better cope with the disease as a team. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).