Illness uncertainty and quality of life in patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers: An actor-partner interdependence model analysis.

Objective: The relationship between illness uncertainty and quality of life (QOL) has been examined for either the patient or caregiver, but not among the patient-caregiver dyads. This study examined relationships between illness uncertainty and QOL among patients with advanced cancer and family caregivers.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial that examined the effects of a dyadic-based intervention on psychological outcomes for patients with advanced cancer and family caregivers (N = 484 dyads).