Abstract
Social support has been shown to buffer some difficulties of living with advanced cancer. The Palliative Rehabilitation Program (prp) was an interdisciplinary outpatient program offering post-treatment palliative rehabilitation to patients with advanced cancer. Social support was directly integrated into the program. The aim of the present study was to examine the types and sources of social support that patients found most beneficial. Twelve patients participated in 30-minute semi-structured interviews. Thematic content analysis was used to explore the social support experiences of those patients in the prp. Patients were eligible to participate in the interview if they had completed the 8-week prp, spoke English, and did not have cognitive or auditory impairments affecting their ability to participate. The main sources of support reported by participants were team members and spouse, family, or close friends; peers attending the program; and spiritual beliefs. Social support varied based on sex and age, such that, compared with women, men reported relying less on social support, and the supportive needs of younger (≤50 years of age) and older participants differed. Team members were endorsed as frequently as family as social support. Emotional support was endorsed with the greatest frequency. The members of the interdisciplinary care team were also providers of emotional and informational support for patients, bolstering the support received from caregivers. Widowed or divorced women might rely on health care providers more readily than do married men, who chose their wives as support. Future rehabilitation programs might consider the importance of an interdisciplinary team, the formal integration of caregivers, and the incorporation of spirituality to meet the unique supportive needs of patients with advanced cancer.
Highlights
Patients with advanced cancer are living extended months or years[1,2]
Social support varied based on sex and age, such that, compared with women, men reported relying less on social support, and the supportive needs of younger (≤50 years of age) and older participants differed
The literature describes 3 main categories of social support that can be integrated into the care of patients with advanced cancer, including instrumental support, informational support, and emotional support[6,7]
Summary
Patients with advanced cancer are living extended months or years[1,2]. The literature describes 3 main categories of social support (ss) that can be integrated into the care of patients with advanced cancer, including instrumental support (the provision of tangible aid or assistance, such as transportation), informational support (guidance or advice provided at a time of need or stress), and emotional support (a sense of personal belonging, value, and acceptance)[6,7]. Instrumental and emotional support have been found to be the most important types of support when an individual is facing a life-altering event such as cancer[6,7,8]. Health care providers could be an additional and potentially important source of support in cancer care[9,12]. The aim of the present study was to examine the types and sources of social support that patients found most beneficial
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