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Couple Communication in Cancer: A Multi-Method Examination - Renewal - 1

Award Number: R01CA201179
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/20/2016
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2029

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Couple Communication in Cancer: A Multi-Method Examination - Renewal - 1 - PROJECT SUMMARY For persons with cancer and their intimate partners, the ability to communicate effectively about cancer-related issues impacts the adjustment of both individuals and their relationships. However, the vast majority of research on couple communication in cancer has been limited by reliance on global self-report measures of communication that focus on a single dimension of communication behavior (e.g., disclosure versus avoidance) without consideration of other potentially important processes such as emotional arousal, the quality of emotions expressed, and sequences and trajectories of communication behaviors. This narrow focus has prohibited advancements in our understanding of communication processes which, in turn, limits efforts to develop efficacious interventions and target them to couples most at risk of poor adjustment. The proposed study will address these limitations by leveraging a large longitudinal, multi-method dataset we collected among 353 couples coping with stage II-IV breast, colon, rectal, and lung cancer (R01 CA201179). Participants completed global self-report measures of communication four times over a one-year period; twice-daily ecological momentary assessments (EMA) over two weeks; and audio- and video-recorded couple conversations of cancer-related topics from which we coded affective expressions and communicative behaviors and obtained data on fundamental frequency, a novel objective indicator of vocally expressed emotional arousal. Preliminary results provided support for two theories of couple communication in cancer (Social Cognitive Processing and Relationship Intimacy) and underscored the utility of different indicators of communication in predicting adjustment. While these findings are promising, our original aims and methods relied on single indicators of communication in isolation, and thus did not fully capitalize on the integrative potential of the dataset. Recent advances in relationship science suggest that the integration of self-report, behavioral, and fundamental frequency data can provide a richer and more sophisticated picture of communication processes and their impacts on intra- and interpersonal outcomes. This in turn can inform the development of more targeted and efficacious interventions. Specific aims of this proposal are: (1) To identify communication profiles of couples based on EMA and observational data. (2) To examine the predictive relationship of these communication profiles to outcomes including patient and partner psychological adjustment, relational functioning, and physical and functional well-being collected at the 12-month follow up. (3a) To develop, using machine learning, a brief self-report screening tool that will identify couples most at risk for poor outcomes based on the communication profiles developed and tested in Aims 1-2. (3b) To concurrently and prospectively validate this brief screening tool in a new sample of 270 couples (patients with stage II-IV breast, colorectal, or lung cancer and their partners). (3c) To identify facilitators and barriers to implementation of the screener in a clinical setting. The goal is development of an efficient, empirically-derived measure that can be administered to patients and partners in real-world clinical settings.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $705,365 )
2025	2025	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY	660 S MILL AVENUE STE 204	TEMPE	AZ	85281	MARICOPA	USA	Cancer Cause and Prevention Research	001	7	9/16/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$705,365
2025	2024	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY	660 S MILL AVENUE STE 204	TEMPE	AZ	85281	MARICOPA	USA	Cancer Cause and Prevention Research	000	6	3/31/2025	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $705,365

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $743,544 )
2024	2024	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY	660 S MILL AVENUE STE 204	TEMPE	AZ	85281	MARICOPA	USA	Cancer Cause and Prevention Research	000	6	9/18/2024	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$743,544
														Subtotal = $743,544

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = -$219,843 )
2023	2020	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY	660 S MILL AVENUE STE 204	TEMPE	AZ	85281	MARICOPA	USA	Cancer Cause and Prevention Research	000	5	4/17/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$159,017
2023	2020	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY	660 S MILL AVENUE STE 204	TEMPE	AZ	85281	MARICOPA	USA	Cancer Cause and Prevention Research	001	5	4/17/2023	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	-$60,827
														Subtotal = -$219,843

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $779,629 )
2020	2020	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY	660 S MILL AVE STE 312	TEMPE	AZ	85281	MARICOPA	USA	Cancer Cause and Prevention Research	000	5	8/21/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$563,920
2020	2020	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY	660 S MILL AVE STE 312	TEMPE	AZ	85281	MARICOPA	USA	Cancer Cause and Prevention Research	001	5	9/14/2020	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$215,709
														Subtotal = $779,629

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $840,385 )
2019	2019	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY	660 S MILL AVE STE 312	TEMPE	AZ	85281	MARICOPA	USA	Cancer Cause and Prevention Research	000	4	8/13/2019	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$630,735
2019	2019	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY	660 S MILL AVE STE 312	TEMPE	AZ	85281	MARICOPA	USA	Cancer Cause and Prevention Research	001	4	8/19/2019	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$209,650
														Subtotal = $840,385

Issue Date FY: 2018 ( Subtotal = $882,471 )
2018	2018	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY	660 S MILL AVE STE 312	TEMPE	AZ	85281	MARICOPA	USA	Cancer Cause and Prevention Research	000	3	8/21/2018	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$655,095
2018	2018	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY	660 S MILL AVE STE 312	TEMPE	AZ	85281	MARICOPA	USA	Cancer Cause and Prevention Research	001	3	9/14/2018	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$227,376
														Subtotal = $882,471

Issue Date FY: 2017 ( Subtotal = $650,269 )
2017	2017	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY	660 S MILL AVE STE 312	TEMPE	AZ	85281	MARICOPA	USA	Cancer Cause and Prevention Research	000	2	8/15/2017	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$650,269
														Subtotal = $650,269

Issue Date FY: 2016 ( Subtotal = $693,817 )
2016	2016	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY	P.O. BOX 873503	TEMPE	AZ	85287	MARICOPA	USA	Cancer Cause and Prevention Research	000	1	9/20/2016	NEW	$693,817
														Subtotal = $693,817

Grand Total All Awards = $5,075,637

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Couple Communication in Cancer: A Multi-Method Examination - Renewal - 1

Award Number: R01CA201179

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/20/2016

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2029

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