Dataset Information

Worry about cancer progression and low perceived social support: implications for quality of life among early-stage breast cancer patients.

ABSTRACT: Worry about cancer progression and perceived social support can affect cancer survivors' quality of life (QOL).In 480 early-stage breast cancer survivors, we examined how worry about cancer progression and perceived social support 6 months after definitive surgery were associated with QOL (RAND 36-item Health Survey) at 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up.At 6 months post-surgery, higher worry was associated with worse QOL for five of eight subscales. Lower social support was associated with worse QOL for four subscales. The negative effects of worry and limited social support dissipated for four subscales (worry) and two subscales (social support) by 12-month follow-up and for all subscales by 24-month follow-up. Social support at 6 months moderated the relationship between T2 worry and T4 emotional well-being; post hoc tests did not clarify the nature of the interaction.Early-stage breast cancer survivors who worry about cancer progression and/or have low social support may experience lower levels of QOL that can take several months to resolve.

SUBMITTER: Waters EA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3561492 | biostudies-other | 2013 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Worry about cancer progression and low perceived social support: implications for quality of life among early-stage breast cancer patients.

Waters Erika A EA Liu Ying Y Schootman Mario M Jeffe Donna B DB

Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine 20130201 1

<h4>Background</h4>Worry about cancer progression and perceived social support can affect cancer survivors' quality of life (QOL).<h4>Methods</h4>In 480 early-stage breast cancer survivors, we examined how worry about cancer progression and perceived social support 6 months after definitive surgery were associated with QOL (RAND 36-item Health Survey) at 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up.<h4>Results</h4>At 6 months post-surgery, higher worry was associated with worse QOL for five of eight subscale ...[more]

PMID: 22983622

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundResidential youth care (RYC) institutions aim to provide care and stability for vulnerable adolescents with several previous and present challenges, such as disrupted attachments, wide-ranging adverse childhood experiences, mental health problems, and poor quality of life (QoL). To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to provide knowledge of the associations between perceived social support and QoL and to explore the potential moderating effect of perceived social support on QoL for adolescents who have experienced maltreatment and polyvictimization.MethodsAll RYC institutions with adolescents between the ages 12-23 in Norway were asked to participate in the study. A total of 86 institutions housing 601 adolescents accepted the invitation, from which 400 adolescents volunteered to participate. The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Interview was used to gather information on maltreatment histories and degree of victimization; the Kinder Lebensqualität Fragebogen was used to measure QoL through several domains (overall QoL, physical well-being, emotional well-being, and self-esteem); and the Social Support Questionnaire was used to measure perceived social support. Linear regression and independent samples t-test were used to study the associations between perceived social support and QoL as well as the potential moderating effect of perceived social support in the association between maltreatment history and QoL.ResultsPerceived social support was positively associated with QoL for both girls and boys, with domain-specific findings. A higher number of different types of support persons was associated with overall QoL, emotional well-being, and self-esteem for boys, but only with self-esteem for girls. Individual social support from RYC staff and friends was associated with higher QoL for girls. However, perceived social support did not moderate the association between maltreatment history and reduced QoL for either sex.ConclusionsThis study emphasizes the importance of maintaining social support networks for adolescents living in RYC, the crucial contribution of RYC staff in facilitating social support, and the potential value of social skills training for these vulnerable adolescents. Furthermore, a wider range of initiatives beyond social support must be carried out to increase QoL among adolescents with major maltreatment and polyvictimization experiences.

Project description:RATIONALE:Social support plays an important role in quality of life and health outcomes after breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. OBJECTIVE:To examine changes in perceived social support in African American women during the two years following a new breast cancer diagnosis. METHODS:This secondary analysis uses data collected from 2009 to 2015 from 227 newly diagnosed, African American women with breast cancer (mean age 56 [SD = 10], 59% household income < $25,000; 28% married/partnered, 72% early stage) participating in a randomized controlled trial testing the effects of a video-communication intervention on quality-of-life and follow-up care. Participants, all of whom received treatment in one metropolitan area of the Midwestern United States, completed five telephone interviews over 2-year follow-up; demographic, psychosocial, quality of life, and clinical data were collected. Growth curve models were used to examine change in perceived social support (measured by the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey) as well as correlates of baseline levels of social support and predictors of change in individuals' social support. Additional analyses examined whether change in social support over the first year affected depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale) and general health perceptions (RAND SF-36 subscale) at two years. RESULTS:Being married, reporting greater spirituality, and reporting fewer depressive symptoms at baseline were significantly associated with higher initial levels of perceived social support. Women whose social support declined during the first year after diagnosis reported more severe depressive symptoms and worse general health perceptions at two years. CONCLUSION:Clinicians should periodically assess perceived social support among African American women with breast cancer to help find support resources for those who have low initial social support and for those whose support declines in the first year after diagnosis.

Dataset Information

Worry about cancer progression and low perceived social support: implications for quality of life among early-stage breast cancer patients.

Publications

Worry about cancer progression and low perceived social support: implications for quality of life among early-stage breast cancer patients.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets