Exploring the effect of caregiver support on psychological distress in stem cell transplant patients

This study investigates the impact of caregiver social support on psychological distress in stem cell transplant recipients during the first 90 days post-transplant. Despite advancements in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) techniques, recipients often experience severe psychological distress due to the invasive nature of the treatment and its implications on daily life. Previous research has explored the long-term effects of social support but has seldom focused on the acute post-transplant phase, which is pivotal for patient recovery. Participants were 219 adults who underwent allogeneic or autologous transplants. Social support was measured using the Social Support Effectiveness (SSE) Questionnaire and psychological distress was assessed through the General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) 90 days post-transplant. Results indicated that higher social support effectiveness was significantly associated with lower levels of anxiety (p < .05) and depressive symptoms (p < .05). No interaction was found between SSE effect on anxiety or depressive symptoms between partner and non-partner caregivers (p = .73; p = .93) or between male and female caregivers (p = .72; p = .43), which contrasted with prior studies. This study contributes to the existing literature by highlighting the critical role of caregiver support in the immediate post-transplant period and suggests the necessity for healthcare providers to integrate robust support systems for stem cell transplant recipients to enhance recovery outcomes.

Author dc:creator

• Bjarki Jóhannsson 1991-

Contributors dc:contributor

• Háskólinn í Reykjavík

• Klínísk sálfræði
• Meistaraprófsritgerðir
• Stofnfrumuígræðsla
• Sjúklingar
• Félagsleg aðstoð
• Umönnun
• Vanlíðan
• Clinical psychology
• Stem cells --Transplantation
• Patients
• Social support
• Caregivers
• Distress (Psychology)

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1946/47554

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:skemman.is:1946/47554