Hope and social support in elderly patients with cancer and their partners: an actor-partner interdependence model.

AIM: Assess relationships between oldest-old (minimum 86 years) patients' perceived social support to their own and their spousal caregivers' hope through application of the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM).

PATIENTS & METHODS: 58 dyads of patients and their spousal caregivers completed standardized self-report measures of depression, distress, hope and social support.

RESULTS: Patients presented high distress levels. Among patients and spouses, perceived social support was positively correlated to their own level of hope (β = 0.44, p < 0.0001; β = 0.56, p < 0.0001, respectively) and negatively correlated to the other's level of hope (β = -0.25, p < 0.024; β = -0.44, p < 0.0001, respectively).

CONCLUSION: The actor-partner interdependence model was found to be adequate for describing relationships between social support and hope among dyads of oldest-old patients and their spousal caregivers. Patients and caregiver seem to utilize social support to enhance hope.