Gender	Female
E-mail	hoda.badr@mssm.edu
Education and Training	Postdoctoral Fellow, Ph.D., University of Houston

Cancer is a family disease, but most psycho-oncology research has focused on patients without taking into account the family and psychosocial context in which coping and adjustment occurs. What distinguishes my work in the field of psycho-oncology is its focus on the dyad. My research program focuses on the influence of social support and relationship processes on the psychosocial adjustment and quality of life (QOL) of cancer patients and their spouses/partners. As a health psychologist with training in social psychological and psycho-oncology research, I want to help bridge the gap between psychosocial theory and intervention research by identifying the mechanisms by which marital interactions affect health and well-being and to develop psychosocial interventions to target those mechanisms and promote couple adjustment.

 

Education and Training	Postdoctoral Fellow, Ph.D., University of Houston

New topic

Dr. Badr has developed a number of studies to examine the links between marital processes and the psychosocial and physical adjustment of patients and their partners across the cancer prevention and control continuum. Her work spans a spectrum of populations including couples coping with pre-neoplastic conditions as well as newly diagnosed and advanced cancers.

 

 

Dr. Badr’s research program is currently supported by a NCI Career Development (K07) grant which involves a multi-method study of the effects of spousal communication on cognitive processing and adjustment in couples coping with head and neck cancers (HNC). The study offers a multi-method approach incorporating self-report (paper-and-pencil surveys), observational (verbal and affective), and implicit (cognitive) measures. By taking a multi-method approach, this study will provide a more complete understanding of the effects of couples’ communication on adjustment to HNC, allowing for the design of more effective couples-focused interventions.

 

Recently, Dr. Badr was awarded an NCI R03 grant to characterize the quality of life concerns and lifestyle behaviors (e.g., diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol use) of patients with Barrett’s Esophagus (BE). BE is a pre-neoplastic condition that is caused largely by uncontrolled acid reflux and is a major risk factor for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). The study prospectively examines the effects of the marital environment (e.g., communication, autonomy support) on patients’ autonomous motivation and perceived competence to make and maintain lifestyle changes that are recommended as part of their standard of care (e.g., diet changes, weight loss, smoking and alcohol cessation). Understanding the psychosocial factors associated with lifestyle changes in BE patients is an important but unrealized first step toward developing health promotion programs targeting this population.

 

Dr. Badr’s future plans include examining associations between marital processes and physical well-being (e.g., immune function) as well as developing novel interventi ons to promote couples’ health and psychosocial well-being.

Badr H, Carmack Taylor C, Kashy D, Cristofanilli M, Revenson T. Dyadic coping in metastatic breast cancer. Health Psychology;.

Manne S, Badr H. Intimacy processes and psychological distress among couples coping with head and neck or lung cancers. Psycho-oncology;.

Badr H, Carmack Taylor C, , . Sexual dysfunction and spousal communication in couples coping with prostate cancer. Psycho-Oncology 2009; 18(7): 735-746.

Carmack Taylor C, Badr H, Lee J, Fossella F, Pisters K, Gritz E, Schover L. Lung cancer patients and their spouses: Psychological and relationship functioning within one month of treatment initiation. Annals of Behavioral Medicine 2008; 36(2): 129-140.

Badr H, Carmack Taylor C. Effects of relationship maintenance on psychological distress and dyadic adjustment among couples coping with lung cancer. Health Psychology 2008; 27(5): 616-627.

Manne S, Badr H. Intimacy and relationship processes in couples’ psychosocial adaptation to cancer. Cancer 2008; 112(11 Suppl): 2541-2555.

Badr H, Acitelli L, Carmack Taylor C. Does talking about their relationship affect couples’ marital and psychological adjustment to lung cancer?. Journal of Cancer Survivorship 2008; 2(1): 53-64.

Badr H, Acitelli L, Carmack Taylor C. Does couple identity mediate the stress experienced by caregiving spouses? . Psychology and Health 2007; 22(3): 211-229.

Badr H, Basen-Engquist K, Carmack Taylor C, deMoor C. Mood states associated with transitory physical symptoms among breast and ovarian cancer survivors. Journal of Behavioral Medicine 2006; 29(5): 461-475.

Badr H, Carmack Taylor C. Social constraints and spousal communication in lung cancer. Psycho-Oncology 2006; 15(8): 673-683.