The Association of Social Support and Coping Mechanisms in Breast Cancer Patients

Abstract

Abstract Background Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer in Indonesian women. To overcome psychosocial concerns due to treatment, breast cancer patients rely on coping mechanisms and social support. Thus, the aim of this study is to assess the association of social support and coping strategies in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Methods A cross-sectional study is conducted at our general Hospital in Tangerang from October 2018-February 2019. The data sample is breast cancer patients who underwent mastectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy. Data were collected using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support questionnaire which assessed social support. Cancer Coping Questionnaire (CCQ-21) is used to classify coping mechanisms. The data were presented using descriptive statistics and analyzed with Chi-square test using SPSS version 24.0 Result This study enrolled 36 breast cancer patients with a mean age of 49.93 (29-73) ±11.473 years old. Among them, 41.4% received moderate support while 58.6% received high social support from family members. Meanwhile, 68.9% received moderate support and 31.1% received high support from friends. From other forms of social support, 44.8% received moderate support while 55.1% received high support. The total social Result makes of 62.1% moderate social support and 37.9% high social support. For coping mechanisms, 65.5% had adaptive coping mechanisms and 34.5% had maladaptive coping mechanisms. 9 of the patients received moderate support but maladaptive, while 11 others had adaptive coping mechanism. The rest received high social support with 2 maladaptive and 14 adaptive coping. (p-value=0.039) Conclusion Social support in breast cancer patients in Indonesia is moderate and most of it comes from family members. With most patients used adaptive coping paired with high social support. A deeper study is required to confirm the Results.