Spouse caregivers’ identification of the patient as their primary support person is associated with better patient psychological well-being

Purpose/Objectives: Examine the impact of the primary-support person (PSP) role on advanced cancer patient and spouse caregiver psychological well-being, above and beyond the effects of relationship satisfaction. Design: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional questionnaire data. Sample/Participants: 88 advanced cancer patient/spouse-caregiver dyads. Methods: Patients and caregivers independently completed measures assessing depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and relationship satisfaction, and identified their PSP. Patient and caregiver psychological well-being outcomes were regressed on patient and caregiver PSP variables in an actor-partner interdependence model. Findings: Half of patients identified their caregiver as PSP; 9% of caregivers identified their patient as PSP. When caregivers identified their patient as PSP, the patient reported better outcomes. No associations were seen for patient identification of caregiver as PSP or caregiver well-being. Implications for Providers: Clinicians can encourage patients to find ways to continue to focus on their relationship with the caregiver and help caregivers connect with other sources of support.