Abstract
BackgroundSocial support is considered to be one of the most important resources for coping with cancer. However, social interactions may also be detrimental, e. g. disappointing or discouraging. The present study explored: 1. the extent of illness-specific positive aspects of social support and detrimental interactions in melanoma survivors, 2. their relationships to mental health characteristics (e. g. distress, quality of life, fatigue, coping processes, and dispositional optimism) and 3. Combinations of positive social support and detrimental interactions in relation to depression and anxiety.MethodsBased on the cancer registry of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, melanoma patients diagnosed at least 5 years before the survey were contacted by their physicians. N = 689 melanoma patients filled out the Illness-specific Social Support Scale ISSS (German version) and standardised instruments measuring potential psychosocial determinants of social support.ResultsUsing principal component analysis, the two factor structure of the ISSS could be reproduced with acceptable reliability; subscales were “Positive Support” (PS) and “Detrimental Interactions” (DI); Cronbach’s α = .95/.72. PS was rated higher than DI. Multivariable linear regressions identified different associations with psychosocial determinants. Survivors living in a partnership and those actively seeking out support had a higher probability of receiving PS, but not DI. PS and DI interacted regarding their association with distress: Survivors reporting high DI but low PS were the most depressed and anxious. High DI was partly buffered by PS. When DI was low, high or low PS made no difference regarding distress.ConclusionPsycho-oncologic interventions should take into account both positive and negative aspects of support in order to promote coping with the disease.
Highlights
Social support is considered to be one of the most important resources for coping with cancer
A lack of social support has been associated with illness-related burden [9] and lower quality of life, in individuals suffering from comorbid depression [10, 11] or distress [12]
Most were diagnosed at stage Union internationale contre le cancer (UICC) 1, and the melanoma was located in the extremities (47.7%)
Summary
Social support is considered to be one of the most important resources for coping with cancer. Combinations of positive social support and detrimental interactions in relation to depression and anxiety. G. fears of recurrence and physical burdens [1] Significant individuals such as the partner, family members, friends or physicians, nurses and other health professionals have the potential to provide instrumental, emotional or informational social support counteracting adverse effects of the disease [2,3,4]. Social support has been predictive for health related quality of life (HRQOL) and well-being [5], illness-coping and tumour-related anxiety [6,7,8]. A lack of social support has been associated with illness-related burden [9] and lower quality of life, in individuals suffering from comorbid depression [10, 11] or distress [12]. In later stages of disease progression, social support appeared to be enhanced [14, 17]
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