Understanding Cancer Survival: The Lesbian Spousal Perspective
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Authors
Keller, Kathleen
Issue Date
2000
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
This research project explored the impact of cancer on lesbian relationships from the spousal perspective. The study was based on the interviews of six lesbian spouses whose partners had been diagnosed and treated for cancer. These interviews provided an opportunity to understand how lesbian spouses adapt and adjust to their mate being ill and what concerns or strengths within these relationships may have therapeutic implications. The interviews focused on communication styles, relational stability, the conspiracy of silence, coping strategies, previous cancer experience, medical inclusion, depression and anxiety, and positive and negative experiences. This study utilized grounded theory, a qualitative approach in which hypotheses are generated based on data collection and analysis. From this study, it was hypothesized that within lesbian relationships faced with a life-threatening illness, the lesbian spouse perceived that the distribution of power shifts over to the ill spouse during the diagnostic and treatment phases of cancer. This is notable because past studies indicate lesbian couples tend to work diligently at maintaining an equal distribution of power. This sudden shift in power was found to have impacted communication styles, relational stability, adaptive processes, and the spouse's level of stress. This study also hypothesizes that for lesbian couples facing a life-threatening illness, mutuality (the ability to be fluid and adaptable to various circumstances) plays more of a key role in relational stability than does the distribution of power. Again, this challenges the past research findings indicating that lesbians make equality within the relationship a priority, at least during a time of crisis. A final hypothesis is that couples counseling is contra-indicated for lesbian couples during the diagnostic and treatment phases of their cancer experience. Individual counseling was considered more appropriate by the spouses interviewed. Additionally, it appears that the length of time a couple had been together prior to diagnosis, as well as the couple's previous experience in overcoming hardships, were two variables found to have contributed to the well-being of the partnership during the cancer experience. This information can assist therapists in recognizing the complexities and extreme hardship spouses encounter when dealing with the weight of their partner's life-threatening illness. The voices of these lesbian spouses provided information that can be utilized in future research related to power differentials within a relationship during a time of crisis and in comparison to other types of couples.