Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-11T11:47:54.710Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Social support and psychosocial functioning in women after mastectomy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 October 2019

Konrad Janowski Open the ORCID record for Konrad Janowski [Opens in a new window] ,
Małgorzata Tatala ,
Tomasz Jedynak  and
Karolina Wałachowska
Konrad Janowski*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Psychology, University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
Małgorzata Tatala
Affiliation:
Department of Developmental Psychology, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
Tomasz Jedynak
Affiliation:
Centre for Ukrainian and European Scientific Cooperation, Uzhorod, Ukraine
Karolina Wałachowska
Affiliation:
Centre for Ukrainian and European Scientific Cooperation, Uzhorod, Ukraine
*
Author for correspondence: Konrad Janowski, University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw, 59 Okopowa Street, 01-030Warsaw, Poland. E-mail: janowski@vizja.pl
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective

Social support has been reported as beneficial for the psychological functioning of people coping with a disease. The objective of this study was to verify whether levels of perceived social support are associated with psychosocial functioning in women who have had a mastectomy and whether specific types of social support are linked to specific indices of functioning.

Method

Seventy women with a history of mastectomy completed questionnaires measuring their psychosocial functioning as related to their health status: Disease-Related Appraisal Scale, Acceptance of Life with the Disease Scale and Beck Depression Inventory. All participants also completed a measure of perceived social support (Disease-Related Social Support Scale).

Results

Women who reported higher levels of perceived social support revealed statistically significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms, higher appraisals of their disease in terms of challenge and value, and lower appraisals of their disease in terms of obstacle/loss. Women with greater social support also revealed higher levels of acceptance of life with the disease compared to those with less social support. Regression analyses showed that spiritual support was the type of support that significantly accounted for the variance in the majority of functioning indices. Some indices of functioning were also significantly accounted for by emotional and instrumental support.

Significance of the results

The process of psychological adjustment to a life-threatening disease such as breast cancer depends on multiple variables; however, social support, including spiritual support, seems to be one significant contributor to this process.

Keywords

AdjustmentIllness perceptionsMastectomySocial support
Type
Original Article
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 18 , Issue 3 , June 2020 , pp. 314 - 321
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

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

Adams, E, McCann, L, Armes, J, et al. (2011) The experiences, needs and concerns of younger women with breast cancer: A meta-ethnography. Psycho-Oncology 20, 851–861.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Alqaissi, NM and Dickerson, SS (2010) Exploring common meanings of social support as experienced by Jordanian women with breast cancer. Cancer Nursing 33, 353–361.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Antle, B and Collins, WL (2009) The impact of a spirituality-based support group on self-efficacy and well-being of African American breast cancer survivors: A mixed methods design. Social Work & Christianity 36, 286–300.Google Scholar
Ben-Arye, E, Schiff, E, Steiner, M, et al. (2012) Attitudes of patients with gynecological and breast cancer toward integration of complementary medicine in cancer care. International Journal of Gynecological Cancer 22, 146–153.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bigatti, SM, Steiner, JL and Miller, KD (2012) Cognitive appraisals, coping and depressive symptoms in breast cancer patients. Stress and Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress 28, 355–361.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bloom, JR and Kessler, L (1994) Emotional support following cancer: A test of the Stigma and Social Activity Hypothesis. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 35, 118–133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brachowicz, M (2008). Psychological Determinant of Coping with Infertility-Related Stress (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Department of Clinical Psychology, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, PolandGoogle Scholar
Brewster, A and Helzlsouer, K (2001) Breast cancer epidemiology, prevention, and early detection. Current Opinion in Oncology 13, 420–425.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Campos, RC and Besser, A (2012) Self-criticism, neediness, and distress among women undergoing treatment for breast cancer: A preliminary test of the moderating role of adjustment to illness. International Journal of Stress Management 19, 151–174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cicero, MV, Gullo, S, Lo Coco, G, et al. (2008) La percezione del supporto sociale ed emotivo nel processo di adattamento alla malattia: Uno studio con pazienti oncologici e loro caregivers. Medicina Psicosomatica 53, 19–24.Google Scholar
Denewer, A, Farouk, O, Mostafa, W, et al. (2011) Social support and hope among Egyptian women with breast cancer after mastectomy. Breast Cancer: Basic and Clinical Research 5, 93–103.Google ScholarPubMed
Dunn, LB, Cooper, BA, Neuhaus, J, et al. (2011) Identification of distinct depressive symptom trajectories in women following surgery for breast cancer. Health Psychology 30, 683–692.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ford, LA, Barrow, AS and Stohl, C (1996) Social support messages and the management of uncertainty in the experience of breast cancer: An application of problematic integration theory. Communication Monographs 63, 189–207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fors, EA, Bertheussen, GF, Thune, I, et al. (2011) Psychosocial interventions as part of breast cancer rehabilitation programs? Results from a systematic review. Psycho-Oncology 20, 909–918.Google ScholarPubMed
Gall, TL, Kristjansson, E, Charbonneau, C, et al. (2009) A longitudinal study on the role of spirituality in response to the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Journal of Behavioral Medicine 32, 174–186.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ganz, PA, Kwan, L, Stanton, AL, et al. (2011) Physical and psychosocial recovery in the year after primary treatment of breast cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology 29, 1101–1109.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gerin, W, Milner, D, Chawla, S, et al. (1995) Social support as a moderator of cardiovascular reactivity in women: A test of the direct effects and buffering hypotheses. Psychosomatic Medicine 57, 16–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gomes, AR, Faria, S and Lopes, H (2016) Stress and psychological health: Testing the mediating role of cognitive appraisal. Western Journal of Nursing Research 38, 1448–1468.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Haloua, MH, Krekel, NM, Winters, HA, et al. (2013) A systematic review of oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery: Current weaknesses and future prospects. Annals of Surgery 257, 609–620.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Janowski, K, Steuden, S, Kuryłowicz, J, et al. (2009) The Disease-Related Appraisals Scale: A tool to measure subjective perception of the disease situation. In Janowski, K and Steuden, S (eds.), Biopsychosocial Aspects of Health and Disease, Vol. 1. Lublin: CPPP Scientific Press, pp. 108–125.Google Scholar
Janowski, K, Steuden, S, Pietrzak, A, et al. (2012) Social support and adaptation to the disease in men and women with psoriasis. Archives of Dermatological Research 304, 421–432.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Janowski, K, Steuden, S and Bogaczewicz, J (2014) Clinical and psychological characteristics of patients with psoriasis reporting various frequencies of pruritus. International Journal of Dermatology 53, 820–829.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Koopman, C, Angell, K, Turner-Cobb, JM, et al. (2001) Distress, coping, and social support among rural women recently diagnosed with primary breast cancer. The Breast Journal 7, 25–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krok, D and Telka, E (2018) Meaning in life in cancer patients: Relationships with illness perception and global meaning changes. Health Psychology Report 6, 171–182.Google Scholar
Krok, D, Brudek, P and Steuden, S (2019) When meaning matters: Coping mediates the relationship of religiosity and illness appraisal with well-being in older cancer patients. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion 29, 46–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LeBarre, S and Riding-Malon, R (2017) Posttraumatic growth in breast cancer survivors: Sources of support in rural and non-rural areas. Journal of Rural Mental Health 41, 54–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, MK, Park, S, Lee, ES, et al. (2011) Social support and depressive mood 1 year after diagnosis of breast cancer compared with the general female population: A prospective cohort study. Supportive Care in Cancer 19, 1379–1392.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Levy, SM, Lathrop, TH, Herberman, RB, et al. (1992) Mastectomy versus breast conservation surgery: Mental health effects at long-term follow-up. Health Psychology 11, 349–354.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Makabe, R and Nomizu, T (2007) Social support and psychological and physical states among Japanese women with breast cancer before and after breast surgery. Oncology Nursing Forum 34, 883–889.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mattioli, JL, Repinski, R and Chappy, SL (2008) The meaning of hope and social support in patients receiving chemotherapy. Oncology Nursing Forum 35, 822–829.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ng, CG, Mohamed, S, See, MH, et al. (2015) Anxiety, depression, perceived social support and quality of life in Malaysian breast cancer patients: A 1-year prospective study. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 13205. doi:10.1186/s12955-015-0401-7Google ScholarPubMed
Ogińska-Bulik, N and Michalska, P (2016) Cognitive appraisal of disease and posttraumatic growth among people struggling with multiple sclerosis. Czasopismo Psychologiczne/Psychological Journal 22, 229–236.Google Scholar
Roff, S, Cassandra, LL, Nelson-Gardell, E, et al. (2009) Spiritual support and African American breast cancer survivors. Affilia: Journal of Women & Social Work 24, 285–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sammarco, A (2009) Quality of life of breast cancer survivors: a comparative study of age cohorts. Cancer Nursing 32, 347–356.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sarason, IG and Sarason, BR (2009) Social support: Mapping the construct. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 26, 113–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwarzer, R and Knoll, N (2010) Social support. In French, D, Vedhara, K, Kaptein, AA, et al. (eds.), Health Psychology, 3rd ed. Oxford: BPS Blackwell, pp. 283–293.Google Scholar
Schwarzer, R, Knoll, N and Rieckmann, N (2004) Social support. In Kaptein, A and Weinman, J (Eds.) Health psychology. Oxford, UK: Blackwell, pp. 158–182.Google Scholar
Szymona-Pałkowska, K, Janowski, K, Pedrycz, A, et al. (2016) Knowledge of the disease, perceived social support, and cognitive appraisals in women with urinary incontinence. BioMed Research International 2016, 3694792. doi:10.1155/2016/3694792CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tatala, M, Janowski, K, Wałachowska, K, et al. (2013) Jakość życia kobiet w aspekcie przeżywania choroby nowotworowej gruczołu piersiowego [Quality of life of women in the perspective breast cancer experience]. Horyzonty Psychologii 3, 163–171.Google Scholar
Ussher, J, Kirsten, L, Butow, P, et al. (2006) What do cancer support groups provide which other supportive relationships do not? The experience of peer support groups for people with cancer. Social Science & Medicine 62, 2565–2576.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wardenaar, KJ, Wanders, RBK, Roest, AM, et al. (2015) What does the Beck Depression Inventory measure in myocardial infarction patients? A psychometric approach using item response theory and person-fit. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research 24, 130–142.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yanez, B, Stanton, AL and Maly, RC (2012) Breast cancer treatment decision making among Latinas and non-Latina whites: A communication model predicting decisional outcomes and quality of life. Health Psychology 31, 553–554.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yeşilbalkan, ÖU (2010) Patients’ self-reports and caregivers’ perception of symptoms in Turkish cancer patients. European Journal of Oncology Nursing 14, 119–124.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed