The Stress and Adaptation of the Spouses of Patients with Gynecological Cancer

여성생식기암 환자 배우자의 스트레스와 적응

Purpose: This study was undertaken to obtain the basic data on the spouses‘ stress and adaptation caring their wives affected by gynecological cancer. In addition, moderating variables for adaptation, family resource and situational definition, were also investigated. Method: This study was descriptive survey research work by questionnaire on the 71 spouses hospitalized in an university hospital located on Gwangju from Sep. 2001 to Oct. 2002. Results: The mean score of stress was 2.27, and the mean score of adaptation was 3.12. The correlation between stress and adaptation was significant (r = -.692, p = .000). The adaptation score of high stress group with high family resource was higher (p = .041) than the group with low family resource. The adaptation score of high stress group with high situational definition was higher (p = .033) than the group with low situational definition. Conclusion: This study showed that the spouses experienced a similar level of stress compared with the level of families with other type of cancer. This study also showed that the stress and adaptation levels were different depending upon the family resource and situational definition. This aspect should be considered for the development of nursing intervention program for the spouse of patients with gynecological cancer.