Oxytocin modulates the neurocomputational mechanisms engaged in learning rank relationships in social networks.

The World Health Organization’s Global Cancer Report 2020 prioritizes improving psychosocial outcomes for cancer survivors and their families. China’s Healthy China Action Plan (2019–2030) promotes patient- and family-centered care through comprehensive support services, psychological care, and palliative care, emphasizing the role of spouses or partners as primary sources of support. Collectively, these policies reflect a paradigm shift in cancer control objectives, from a sole focus on improving survival rates to the simultaneous promotion of adaptive growth among patients and their spousal and family systems. According to global cancer statistics for 2022, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Chinese national reports also indicate that colorectal cancer ranks as the second most prevalent cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality in China. As a major traumatic stressor, colorectal cancer not only compromises patients’ physical health but also leads to significant psychological changes, substantially reducing quality of life. In many cases, spouses serve as primary caregivers, providing essential physical and emotional support. Couple communication is an important determinant of dyadic coping effectiveness and can be defined as the interactive exchange of emotions, information, support, and problem-solving strategies between partners. Empirical evidence has shown that effective communication enhances emotional support, strengthens marital intimacy, facilitates the resolution of disease-related concerns, and alleviates psychological distress. However, research specifically examining couple communication patterns among patients with colorectal cancer remains limited. Within the broader context of global and national policies promoting psychosocial support in cancer care, it is essential to clarify the characteristics of couple communication patterns and their underlying mechanisms among patients with colorectal cancer. Such efforts would both respond to policy initiatives and address existing gaps in the literature. Heavey et al. classified couple communication into three distinct patterns: (1) constructive communication, in which both partners actively and collaboratively engage in identifying and resolving problems; (2) demand–withdraw communication, characterized by one partner actively initiating discussion and seeking solutions while the other withdraws through silence, avoidance, or refusal to engage. This pattern includes two subtypes: patient-demand/spouse-withdraw and spouse-demand/patient-withdraw; and (3) mutual avoidance communication, in which both partners consistently avoid addressing problems. This classification of couple communication patterns was adopted in the present study because it encompasses both functional communication (constructive communication) and dysfunctional communication (demand–withdraw and mutual avoidance communication), thereby capturing a broad range of interaction styles between partners. The Chinese version of the questionnaire has demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties in Chinese populations. This classification framework has been widely applied in psycho-oncology research. Previous studies involving couples coping with breast cancer and cervical cancer have shown that constructive communication is associated with lower levels of depression, anxiety, and fear of cancer recurrence, as well as better treatment adherence. In contrast, avoidant communication patterns are linked to increased emotional distress and poorer relationship satisfaction. These findings highlight the value of this framework for examining communication dynamics in couples facing cancer and support its extension to the study of couples coping with colorectal cancer.