Comparative Models of the Impact of Social Support on Psychological Distress in Cancer Patients

This study tested the relationship between Social Support, Psychological Distress, and Illness Stress in individuals who report cancer as a health condition. This study was based on archival data obtained from the Wave 1 of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). The HRS provides a nationally representative sample of individuals aged 51 to 61 in 1992 and their spouses. The study sample was limited to cancer patients with a spouse or partner (n = 503). A structural equation modeling analysis procedure was used to test the theoretical models. Measures of social support were limited to variables assessing the participant's satisfaction with social support. Evidence was found for the Stress Prevention and the Support Deterioration models. This is congruent with previous research using measures of social support perception. Both the Stress Prevention and the Support Deterioration models predict a negative relationship between Illness Stress and Social Support. In addition, a univariate analysis of variance was used to test the stress buffering model. Similarly to other studies measuring the individual's degree of integration, or its perception, in the social network, the present research supported the only the Main Effect model and not the Stress Buffering model.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of North Texas

Year dc:date

2000

Author dc:creator

• Forjaz, Maria João Bettencourt Pereira

Contributors dc:contributor

• Guarnaccia, Charles A.
• Vasco, António Branco, 1955-
• Mahoney, Michael J.
• Yuan, Ke-Hai

• Cancer -- Patients.
• Cancer -- Psychological aspects.
• Stress (Psychology)
• Cancer -- Patients -- Social networks.
• social support
• cancer
• aging
• stress prevention
• stress buffering

Statement dc:rights

• Public
• Copyright
• Forjaz, Maria João Bettencourt Pereira
• Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

oclc: 45225919
untcat: b2235856
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc2533/
ark: ark:/67531/metadc2533

OAI identifier oai:identifier

info:ark/67531/metadc2533