Moving toward a new normal: Latinas supporting their husbands after prostatectomy for prostate cancer

Although intimate partners are understood to be important in the recovery and adjustment of men with prostate cancer, the vast majority of research addressing partners has included exclusively non-Hispanic White women. We interviewed 28 low-income Latinas caring for husbands with prostate cancer at three time points following his prostatectomy. We found themes of “Creating a Healing Environment,” “Moving Forward,” and “Reaching a New Normal,” at time points one, two, and three respectively. At time point one, women focused primarily on managing their husbands' environments and protecting them physically and emotionally through preparing healthy foods and concealing their emotions. These concerns still existed at time point two, but the focus began to shift toward the long term. Women emphasized the need for strength, patience, and understanding to keep their husbands moving through the recovery process, while noticing changes in their relationships and their husbands' personalities. At time point three, while some of the relationship changes remained, women described both their husbands and their lives as “normal.” They also spoke increasingly about managing their husbands' erectile dysfunction, often reframing it for their husbands as part of getting older, as a trade off for their lives, and as unimportant since they had already had children and been together so long. Our findings offer a framework for how Latinas manage and encourage their husbands' recovery which may assist in the development of materials and interventions for supporting this process.