INVESTIGATION OF COPING STRATEGIES AND SOCIAL SUPPORT OF CANCER PATIENTS IN TIMES OF GLOBAL CRISIS
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the role of social support and coping strategies in moderating the psychological distress of cancer patients during high-stress health crises. Material and Method: From June 2022 to January 2023, we collected data from 206 cancer patients and 202 healthy co...
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Istanbul University Press
2023-10-01
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| Series: | İstanbul Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi |
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| Online Access: | https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/286ED3FA624541F5B15B7B96ECE281EE |
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| author | Çağlar Ünal İpek Özönder Ünal Çetin Ordu |
| author_facet | Çağlar Ünal İpek Özönder Ünal Çetin Ordu |
| author_sort | Çağlar Ünal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: This study aimed to investigate the role of social support and coping strategies in moderating the psychological distress of cancer patients during high-stress health crises. Material and Method: From June 2022 to January 2023, we collected data from 206 cancer patients and 202 healthy controls at Florence Nightingale Hospital. Minimizing the immediate psychosocial impacts and aiming to investigate more chronic, longer-term psychological responses, during a 'return to normalcy' participants completed the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories, Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Questionnaire, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Result: Cancer patients reported higher levels of anxiety and depression than healthy controls (13.73±7.18 vs. 11.15±7.70, 12.94±5.39 vs. 9.98±6.93, p<0.001). Higher perceived social support, especially from family (b=-0.043; p=0.024 for anxiety, b=-0.028; p=0.044 for depression) and significant others (romantic or life partners) (b=-0.021; p=0.028 for anxiety), moderated the relationship between fear and mental health outcomes, reducing the severity of anxiety and depression symptoms. In contrast, the use of maladaptive coping strategies was found to amplify these outcomes (b=0.162; p<0.001 for anxiety, b=0.1307; p<0.001 for depression). Conclusion: Being the first study in the literature to investigate the buffering role of social support and coping mechanisms on fear, depression, and anxiety within a cancer patient cohort, itprovides valuable insights for practitioners. These findings are of practical relevance to clinicians aiming to improve mental health among cancer patients in times of global crises, emphasizing the importance of fostering social support and promoting adaptive coping strategies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4a89683887ec41a488bb51c8f6bf553b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1305-6441 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Istanbul University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | İstanbul Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi |
| spelling | doaj-art-4a89683887ec41a488bb51c8f6bf553b2025-08-20T03:52:47ZengIstanbul University Pressİstanbul Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi1305-64412023-10-0186434535310.26650/IUITFD.1326105123456INVESTIGATION OF COPING STRATEGIES AND SOCIAL SUPPORT OF CANCER PATIENTS IN TIMES OF GLOBAL CRISISÇağlar Ünal0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3245-1570İpek Özönder Ünal1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3509-0061Çetin Ordu2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4423-8005Sağlık Bakanlığı, Ankara, TurkiyeSağlık Bakanlığı, Ankara, TurkiyeSağlık Bakanlığı, Ankara, TurkiyeObjective: This study aimed to investigate the role of social support and coping strategies in moderating the psychological distress of cancer patients during high-stress health crises. Material and Method: From June 2022 to January 2023, we collected data from 206 cancer patients and 202 healthy controls at Florence Nightingale Hospital. Minimizing the immediate psychosocial impacts and aiming to investigate more chronic, longer-term psychological responses, during a 'return to normalcy' participants completed the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories, Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Questionnaire, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Result: Cancer patients reported higher levels of anxiety and depression than healthy controls (13.73±7.18 vs. 11.15±7.70, 12.94±5.39 vs. 9.98±6.93, p<0.001). Higher perceived social support, especially from family (b=-0.043; p=0.024 for anxiety, b=-0.028; p=0.044 for depression) and significant others (romantic or life partners) (b=-0.021; p=0.028 for anxiety), moderated the relationship between fear and mental health outcomes, reducing the severity of anxiety and depression symptoms. In contrast, the use of maladaptive coping strategies was found to amplify these outcomes (b=0.162; p<0.001 for anxiety, b=0.1307; p<0.001 for depression). Conclusion: Being the first study in the literature to investigate the buffering role of social support and coping mechanisms on fear, depression, and anxiety within a cancer patient cohort, itprovides valuable insights for practitioners. These findings are of practical relevance to clinicians aiming to improve mental health among cancer patients in times of global crises, emphasizing the importance of fostering social support and promoting adaptive coping strategies.https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/286ED3FA624541F5B15B7B96ECE281EEanxietycoping strategiesdepressionpsycho-oncologysocial support |
| spellingShingle | Çağlar Ünal İpek Özönder Ünal Çetin Ordu INVESTIGATION OF COPING STRATEGIES AND SOCIAL SUPPORT OF CANCER PATIENTS IN TIMES OF GLOBAL CRISIS İstanbul Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi anxiety coping strategies depression psycho-oncology social support |
| title | INVESTIGATION OF COPING STRATEGIES AND SOCIAL SUPPORT OF CANCER PATIENTS IN TIMES OF GLOBAL CRISIS |
| title_full | INVESTIGATION OF COPING STRATEGIES AND SOCIAL SUPPORT OF CANCER PATIENTS IN TIMES OF GLOBAL CRISIS |
| title_fullStr | INVESTIGATION OF COPING STRATEGIES AND SOCIAL SUPPORT OF CANCER PATIENTS IN TIMES OF GLOBAL CRISIS |
| title_full_unstemmed | INVESTIGATION OF COPING STRATEGIES AND SOCIAL SUPPORT OF CANCER PATIENTS IN TIMES OF GLOBAL CRISIS |
| title_short | INVESTIGATION OF COPING STRATEGIES AND SOCIAL SUPPORT OF CANCER PATIENTS IN TIMES OF GLOBAL CRISIS |
| title_sort | investigation of coping strategies and social support of cancer patients in times of global crisis |
| topic | anxiety coping strategies depression psycho-oncology social support |
| url | https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/286ED3FA624541F5B15B7B96ECE281EE |
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