ABSTRACT
Satariano and Ragheb’s analysis of adjustment to breast cancer in chapter 4 indicates that married women adjust better than nonmarried women except when their husbands are ill. Those with ill husbands indicate levels of adjustment that are equivalent to their nonmarried counterparts. These data qualify the generally accepted notion that marriage improves health and well-being and draw attention to the importance of the context of marital relationships in determining whether they are health promoting. This discussion expands on this issue by attempting to delineate types of spousal behaviors and behavioral contexts that result in effective spousal support.
