Family resilience, perceived social support, and individual resilience in cancer couples: Analysis using the actor-partner interdependence mediation model

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the impact of family resilience on the individual resilience of couples during cancer and explore the potential mediating role of perceived social support and the moderating role of sex in this association in cancer patient-spouse dyads. Method: The participants were 272 cancer patients and their spouses (N = 544) who completed the Family Resilience Assessment Scale, the Perceived Social Support Scale and the Resilience Scale. We adopted the actorpartner interdependence mediation model to examine whether and how patients' and their spouses' family resilience was associated with their own and their partners' perceived social support and individual resilience. Results: The results indicated that the patients' and their spouses' level of family resilience was positively associated with their own individual resilience directly and indirectly by increasing their own perceived social support. The family resilience of the spouses was associated with an increase in the patients' individual resilience only indirectly by increasing the patients' perceived social support. The spouse-actor effects between family resilience and individual resilience differed significantly by sex. Conclusion: Enhancing family resilience and perceived social support within the family can improve individual resilience. The findings regarding the sex differences serve as a rationale for gender-based approaches to improving individual resilience in the family context.