Christina Sauer1, Joachim Weis2, Hermann Faller3, Florian Junne4, Klaus Hönig5, Corinna Bergelt6, Beate Hornemann7, Barbara Stein8, Martin Teufel9, Ute Goerling10, Yesim Erim11, Franziska Geiser12, Alexander Niecke13, Bianca Senf14, Dorothea Weber15, Imad Maatouk1. 1. Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics and National Center for Tumor Diseases Heidelberg, University Hospital Heidelberg , Heidelberg , Germany. 2. Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Self-Help Research, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center University of Freiburg , Freiburg , Germany. 3. Department of Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Medical Sociology and Rehabilitation Sciences, and Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, University of Wuerzburg , Wuerzburg , Germany. 4. Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical University Hospital Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany. 5. Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Comprehensive Cancer Center Ulm (CCCU), Ulm University Clinic , Ulm , Germany. 6. University Clinic Center, Hubertus Wald, University Cancer Center (CCC) , Hamburg , Germany. 7. Comprehensive Cancer Center, University Clinic Center Dresden , Dresden , Germany. 8. Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Paracelsus Medical University, General Hospital Nuremberg , Nuremberg , Germany. 9. Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Comprehensive Cancer Center Essen (WTZ) and LVR Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen , Essen , Germany. 10. Charité Comprehensive Cancer Center , Berlin , Germany. 11. Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University Clinic Center Erlangen , Erlangen , Germany. 12. Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University Clinic Center Bonn , Bonn , Germany. 13. Department of Psychosomatic Medicine & Centre Psychooncology (CePO), University Clinic Center Cologne , Cologne , Germany. 14. University Clinic Center Frankfurt , Frankfurt , Germany. 15. Institute of Medical Biometry and Informatics, University Clinic Center of Heidelberg , Heidelberg , Germany.
Abstract
Background: This prospective multicenter study aimed to investigate the courses of positive support (PS) and detrimental interaction (DI), two different aspects of social support, and the relation between social support and psychosocial distress and/or health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a large sample of patients with different cancers. Methods: For this observational study, we enrolled adult patients with cancer from 13 comprehensive cancer centers (CCCs) in Germany. We included a total of 1087 patients in our analysis. We assessed the outcomes via standardized self-report questionnaires at three measurement points: at admission for acute care (T1), 6 (T2) and 12 months (T3) thereafter. Our outcome variables included PS and DI, depression and anxiety symptoms, distress, mental quality of life (MQoL) and physical QoL (PQoL). Data were analyzed using three-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) and group-based trajectory modeling. Results: During the first year after the cancer diagnosis, both PS and DI decreased in our sample. Baseline depression symptom severity was a significant predictor of PS and DI. Further analyses revealed significant associations between PS, DI and the course of depression and anxiety symptoms, and MQoL. PS buffered the negative effects of DI with regards to these variables. Low DI was associated with better PQoL, whereas PS was not. In general, the impact of social support on psychosocial outcomes was weak to moderate. Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence for the influence of PS and DI on psychosocial symptoms and HRQOL, and emphasize the importance of psycho-oncological interventions that strengthen PS and prevent or reduce DI for patients with cancer and their relatives.
Background: This prospective multicenter study aimed to investigate the courses of positive support (PS) and detrimental interaction (DI), two different aspects of social support, and the relation between social support and psychosocial distress and/or health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a large sample of patients with different cancers. Methods: For this observational study, we enrolled adult patients with cancer from 13 comprehensive cancer centers (CCCs) in Germany. We included a total of 1087 patients in our analysis. We assessed the outcomes via standardized self-report questionnaires at three measurement points: at admission for acute care (T1), 6 (T2) and 12 months (T3) thereafter. Our outcome variables included PS and DI, depression and anxiety symptoms, distress, mental quality of life (MQoL) and physical QoL (PQoL). Data were analyzed using three-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) and group-based trajectory modeling. Results: During the first year after the cancer diagnosis, both PS and DI decreased in our sample. Baseline depression symptom severity was a significant predictor of PS and DI. Further analyses revealed significant associations between PS, DI and the course of depression and anxiety symptoms, and MQoL. PS buffered the negative effects of DI with regards to these variables. Low DI was associated with better PQoL, whereas PS was not. In general, the impact of social support on psychosocial outcomes was weak to moderate. Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence for the influence of PS and DI on psychosocial symptoms and HRQOL, and emphasize the importance of psycho-oncological interventions that strengthen PS and prevent or reduce DI for patients with cancer and their relatives.
Authors: Christina Sauer; Andreas Ihrig; Tobias Hanslmeier; Johannes Huber; Kiriaki Hiller; Hans-Christoph Friederich; Imad Maatouk Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2022-05-13 Impact factor: 3.359