1. Objectifs

Intentions :
This study aims to «assess the extent of spouses’ wage losses in the 6 months after the start of treatment of nonmetastatic breast cancer, […] describe the components of these wage losses (absence duration and compensation received), and [...] identify the sociodemographic, medical, and employment characteristics influencing the proportion of spouses’ usual wages lost because of breast cancer.» (p. 1125)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«This prospective cohort study was based on the Family Costs of Breast Cancer Study, in which consecutive series of women diagnosed with nonmetastatic breast cancer and their spouses were recruited in 8 hospitals across the province of Quebec (Canada) between January 1 and December 23, 2003.» (p. 1125) «The interviews were administered to women and their spouses separately by trained interviewers. To estimate spouses’ wage losses, each spouse completed 2 telephone interviews conducted 1 and 6 months after the start of the woman’s treatment.» (p. 1125) «Among the 800 women who completed the study, 541 had an eligible cohabiting spouse, of whom 406 agreed to participate (75.0% participation). Of the 391 spouses who completed the study, 279 were employed in the month before the diagnosis and were included in this analysis of spouse wage losses.» (p. 1126)

Instruments :
Guide d’entretien

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

The «results can be summarized as 3 main findings. First, breast cancer led to work absences for more than threequarters of spouses. Second, median wage losses resulting from work absences were modest for most spouses because of compensation received. Third, among those spouses who experienced wage losses, the loss could be substantial.» (p. 1128) Also, «[a]lthough a high proportion of spouses who participated in the study had relatively modest wage losses, our results suggest that the ways in which spouses coped with potential wage losses may contribute to overall strain during the 6 months after the diagnosis and beyond. A considerable number of spouses used their own paid holiday or sick leave. Although this may have mitigated the immediate financial impact of being absent from work, it could leave spouses without time off when it is needed for themselves or other family members. In addition, many spouses reported making informal arrangements with their employers. This indicates that employees may not be protected against wage losses because these arrangements are at the discretion of the employer.» (p. 1132)