Couples” Coping Skills Help Reduce Depression in GI Cancer Survivors

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Dyadic coping is a potentially modifiable protective factor in the psychological health of middle-aged and older gastrointestinal cancer survivors, according to a study recently published in the European Journal of Cancer.

Silan Yang, from the First Hospital of Jiaxing in China, and colleagues examined the relationships and pathways between fear of cancer recurrence, dyadic coping, and depression in gastrointestinal cancer survivors. The analysis included questionnaire responses from 235 middle-aged and elderly gastrointestinal cancer survivors.

The researchers found that fear of cancer recurrence affected depression through dyadic coping. There was an association between greater recurrence fear and poorer dyadic coping (r = −0.390), while better dyadic coping was associated with lower depression scores (r = −0.408). There was also a positive association observed between recurrence fear and depression (r = 0.431). The direct effect of recurrence fear on depression was 0.083, while the indirect and total effects were 0.028 and 0.111, respectively. Dyadic coping mediated 25.23 percent of the relationship in negative emotions.

“These findings suggest that psychologically qualified nurses/psychotherapists should assess the coping types of spouses and tailor interventions such as coping skills training and cognitive existential couples therapy to improve gastrointestinal cancer survivors” dyadic coping,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text