Among patients with relapsed / refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia, those who have higher stress related to their cancer experience at the start of treatment have
worse psychological functioning during the first five months of treatment.
There are well - documented associations between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and intimate relationship problems, including relationship distress and aggression, 1 and studies demonstrate that the presence of PTSD symptoms in one partner is associated with caregiver burden and
psychological distress in the other partner.2 Although currently available individual psychotherapies for PTSD produce overall improvements in psychosocial
functioning, these improvements are not specifically found in intimate relationship
functioning.3 Moreover, it has been shown that even when patients receive state - of - the - art individual psychotherapy for the disorder, negative interpersonal relations predict
worse treatment outcomes.4, 5