Relations Among Social Support, Coping, and Negative Affect in Hospitalized and Nonhospitalized Cancer Patients

Abstract

This study examined the effects of three sources of perceived social support and four coping strategies on measures of negative affect among 44 hospitalized and nonhospitalized women with breast or gynecological cancer undergoing radiation therapy. The results showed different patterns of relations between the variables in the two groups of patients. Among hospitalized patients, support from medical staff and family and problem-oriented coping were the most significant predictors of negative affect. Among nonhospitalized patients, the most significant predictors of negative affect were family support, physical isolation/suppression of emotions, and avoidance coping. The results concerning the relationship between social support and coping strategies among hospitalized patients showed that support from medical staff was a positive predictor of problem-oriented coping, whereas friends' support was a negative predictor of physical isolation/suppression of emotions among nonhospitalized patients. Although the hypothesis of social support as coping assistance was confirmed to some extent, the results suggest that social support does not exert its effects of reducing negative affect predominantly through coping strategies; its effects are direct. Because of the different patterns of relations stemming from the different situational demands of the two social settings, the authors propose two different models that emphasize the importance of accounting for the different settings when examining stress and the coping process.