Speakers - WNSC 2023

Abstract

Both adult cancer patients and their caregivers are vulnerable to neuroendocrine dysregulation, which has been associated with several morbidities and greater mortality. Less known is the degree to which individuals’ affect regulation in response to acute stressors influences their own and their partner’s daily neuroendocrine functioning.

Patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer (n=73, 54.6 years old, 35.2% female, 62.9% Hispanic) and their spouses underwent an experimental session together. Positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) were self-reported before and after the stress onset (affect reactivity), and again 12-mn after the stress offset (affect recovery). Participants collected saliva samples for 7 days, from which cortisol was assayed and the diurnal slope was calculated.

Dyadic, time-lagged, multilevel modeling showed that patients’ overall steeper cortisol decline was predicted by their caregivers’ stronger PA recovery, whereas caregivers’ was predicted by their own stronger PA recovery and their patients’ stronger NA recovery (b≥.043, p≤.049). On a subsequent day, caregivers’ steeper cortisol decline was predicted by their own stronger NA reactivity but weaker NA recovery, and their patients’ weaker PA and stronger NA recovery (|b|≥0.04, p≤.034).

Findings suggest one’s own and partner’s affective regulatory patterns impact one’s neuroendocrine functioning. Investigation for the differential benefits of affect regulation for partners’ neuroendocrine functioning is warranted to develop dyadic interventions to promote the health of cancer patients and caregivers.