Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T18:46:51.617Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Does social support from family and friends work as a buffer against reactions to stressful life events such as terminal cancer?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2007

GERD INGER RINGDAL ,
KRISTEN RINGDAL ,
MARIT S. JORDHØY  and
STEIN KAASA
GERD INGER RINGDAL
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
KRISTEN RINGDAL
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
MARIT S. JORDHØY
Affiliation:
Unit of Applied Clinical Research, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
STEIN KAASA
Affiliation:
Unit of Applied Clinical Research, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway Palliative Medicine Unit, Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, St. Olavs University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective: To examine the relationship between social support and emotional functioning and stress reactions. Our hypothesis is that patients who reported a high degree of social support will experience better emotional functioning and less serious stress reactions than patients with a low degree of social support.

Method: The sample was comprised of 434 patients at the Palliative Medicine Unit (PMU), University Hospital of Trondheim in Norway. The patients completed a questionnaire monthly including questions about social support from the MacAdam's Scale, subjective stress measured by the Impact of Event Scale (IES), and emotional functioning measured by the subscale in the EORTC QLQ-30.

Results: Although our hypothesis was not supported at the baseline assessment, it was supported at the second assessment, 2 months later. Patients with high social support reported better emotional functioning and less serious stress reactions, in terms of lower scores on the IES avoidance subscale, than patients with a low degree of social support.

Significance of the results: The mixed findings may indicate that social support has only small effects on emotional functioning and stress reactions. Our results on the second assessment indicate, however, that social support might work as a buffer against reactions toward external stressful events such as terminal cancer.

Keywords

Cancer victimsSocial supportBuffer effectStress reactionsEmotional functioning
Type
Research Article
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , March 2007 , pp. 61 - 69
Copyright
© 2007 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Aaronson, N.K., Ahmedzai, S., Bergman, B., et al. (1993). The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30: A quality-of-life instrument for use in international clinical trials in oncology. Journal of National Cancer Institute, 85, 365–376.Google Scholar
Baider, L., Ever-Hadani, P., Goldzweig, G., et al. (2003). Is perceived family support a relevant variable in psychological distress? A sample of prostate and breast cancer couples. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 55, 453–460.Google Scholar
Berkman, L.F. & Syme, L. (1979). Social networks, host resistance, and mortality: A nine-year follow-up study of Alameda County Residents. American Journal of Epidemiology, 109, 186–204.Google Scholar
Birkhaug, E.J., Aarstad, H.J., & Aarstad, A.K.H. (2002). Relation between mood, social support and quality of life in patients with laryngectomies. European Archives of Oto-rhino-laryngology, 259, 197–204.Google Scholar
Broadhead, W.E. & Kaplan, B.H. (1991). Social support and the cancer patient. Implications for future research and clinical care. Cancer, 67, 794–799.Google Scholar
Cella, D., Sarafian, B., Snider, P.R., et al. (1993). Evaluation of a community-based cancer support group. Psycho-Oncology, 2, 123–132.Google Scholar
Cohen, S. & Wills, T.A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 310–357.Google Scholar
Dakof, G.A. & Taylor, S.E. (1990). Victim's perceptions of social support: What is helpful from whom? Journal of Personal Social Psychology, 58, 80–89.Google Scholar
Fawzy, F.I. & Fawzy, N.W. (1998). Group therapy in the cancer setting. Review. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 45, 191–200.Google Scholar
Fawzy, F.I., Fawzy, N.W., & Wheeler, J.G. (1996). A post-hoc comparison of the efficiency of a psychoeducational intervention for melanoma patients delivered in group versus individual formats: An analysis of data from two studies. Psycho-Oncology, 5, 81–89.Google Scholar
Fayers, P., Aaronson, N., Bjordal, K., et al. 1995. EORTC QLQ-C30 Scoring Manual. Brussels: EORTC Study Group on Quality of Life.
Fowlie, M., Berkely, J., & Dingwall-Fordyce, L. (1989). Quality of life in advanced cancer: The benefits of asking the patient. Palliative Medicine, 3, 55–59.Google Scholar
Goodwin, P.J., Leszcz, M., Ennis, M., et al. (2001). The effect of group psychosocial support on survival in metastatic breast cancer. New England Journal of Medicine, 345, 1719–1726.Google Scholar
Greer, S., Moorey, S., Baruch, J.D.R., et al. (1992). Adjuvant psychological therapy for patients with cancer: A prospective, randomized trial. British Medical Journal, 304, 657–680.Google Scholar
Guidry, J.J., Aday, L.A., Zhang, D., et al. (1997). The role of informal and formal support networks for patients with cancer. Cancer Practice 5, 241–246.Google Scholar
Hann, D., Baker, F., Dennistone, M., et al. (2002). The influence of social support on depressive symptoms in cancer patients. Age and gender differences. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 52, 279–283.Google Scholar
Hogan, B.E., Linden, W., & Najarian, B. (2002). Social support interventions. Do they work? Clinical Psychological Review, 22, 381–440.Google Scholar
Horowitz, M.J., Wilner, N., & Alvarez, W. (1979). Impact of Event Scale: A measure of subjective stress. Psychosomatic Medicine, 41, 209–218.Google Scholar
House, J.S., Landis, K.R., & Umberson, D. (1988). Social relationships and health. Science, 24, 540–545.Google Scholar
House, J.S., Robbins, C., & Metzner, H.L. (1982). The association of social relationships and activities with mortality: Prospective evidence from the Tecumseh Community Health Study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 116, 123–140.Google Scholar
Jordhøy, M.S., Fayers, P., Loge, J.H., et al. (2001). Quality of life in palliative cancer care: Results from a cluster randomized trial. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 19, 3884–3894.Google Scholar
Jordhøy, M.S., Kaasa, S., Fayers, P., et al. (1999). Challenges in palliative care research: Recruitment, attrition and compliance: Experience from a randomized controlled trial. Palliative Medicine, 13, 299–310.Google Scholar
Kaasa, S. & Loge, J.H. (2002). Quality-of-life assessment in palliative care. Lancet Oncology, 3, 175–182.Google Scholar
Koopman, C., Hermanson, K., Diamond, S., et al. (1998). Social support, life stress, pain and emotional adjustment to advanced breast cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 7, 101–111.Google Scholar
Lee, E.-H., Chung, B.Y., Park, H.B., et al. (2004). Relationships of mood disturbance and social support to symptom experience in Korean women with breast cancer. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 27, 425–433.Google Scholar
Lehto-Jaernstedt, U.S., Ojanen, M., & Kellokumpu-Lehtinen, P. (2004). Cancer-specific social support received by newly diagnosed cancer patients: Validating the new Structural-Functional Social-Support Scale (SFSS) measurement tool. Supportive Care in Cancer, 12, 326–337.Google Scholar
MacAdam, D.B. & Smith, M. (1987). An initial assessment of suffering in terminal illness. Palliative Medicine, 1, 37–47.Google Scholar
Nelles, W.B., McCaffrey, R.J., Blanchard, C.G., et al. (1991). Social supports and breast cancer: A review. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 9, 21–34.Google Scholar
Priestman, T.J. & Baum, M. (1976). Evaluation of quality of life in patients receiving treatment for advanced breast cancer. Lancet, 24, 899–901.Google Scholar
Ramirez, A., Addington-Hall, J., & Richards, M. (1998). ABC of palliative care. The carers. British Medical Journal, 316, 208–211.Google Scholar
Ringdal, G.I. (1995). Correlates of hopelessness in cancer patients. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 13, 47–66.Google Scholar
Ringdal, G.I. & Ringdal, K. (1993). Testing the EORTC quality of life questionnaire on cancer patients with heterogeneous diagnoses. Quality of Life Research, 2, 129–140.Google Scholar
Ringdal, G.I. & Ringdal, K. (2000). A follow-up study of quality of life in cancer patients with different prognoses. Quality of Life Research, 9, 65–73.Google Scholar
Ringdal, G.I., Ringdal, K., Jordhøy, M.S., et al. (2004). Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in family members of cancer patients: Results from a longitudinal intervention study in Norway and Sweden. Palliative Medicine, 18, 108–120.Google Scholar
Schaefer, C., Coyne, J.C., & Lazarus, R.S. (1981). The health related functions of social support. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4, 483–491.Google Scholar
Slevin, M.L., Nichols, S.E., Downer, S.M., et al. (1996). Emotional support for cancer patients: What do patients really want? British Journal of Cancer, 74, 1275–1279.Google Scholar
Spiegel, D. (1994). Health caring. Psychosocial support for patients with cancer. Cancer, 74, 1453–1457.Google Scholar
Spiegel, D., Bloom, J.R., Kraemer, H.C., et al. (1989). Effect of psychosocial treatment on survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer. Lancet, 2, 888–891.Google Scholar
Spiegel, D., Bloom, J.R., & Yalom, I. (1981). Group support for patients with metastatic cancer. Archives of General Psychiatry, 38, 527–533.Google Scholar
Spiegel, D. & Kato, P.M. (1996). Psychosocial influences on cancer incidence and progression. Review. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 4, 10–26.Google Scholar
Taniguchi, K., Akechi, T., Suzuki, S., et al. (2003). Lack of marital support and poor psychological responses in male cancer patients. Supportive Care in Cancer, 11, 604–610.Google Scholar
Taylor, S., Falke, R.L., Shoptaw, S.J., et al. (1986). Social support, support groups, and cancer patient. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 608–615.Google Scholar
Thoits, P.A. (1986). Social support as coping assistance. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 416–423.Google Scholar
Vachon, M.L.S., Kristjanson, L., & Higginson, I. (1995). Psychosocial issues in palliative care: The patients, the family, and the process and outcome of care. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 10, 142–150.Google Scholar
Weber, B.A., Roberts, B.L., Resnick, M., et al. (2004). The effect of dyadic intervention on self-efficacy, social support, and depression for men with prostate cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 13, 47–60.Google Scholar
Wortman, C.B. & Dunkel-Schetter, C. (1979). Interpersonal relationships and cancer: A theoretical analysis. Journal of Social Issues, 35, 120–155.Google Scholar