Depression, hope and social support among older people with cancer: a comparison of Muslim Palestinian and Jewish Israeli cancer patients

OBJECTIVES

Studies of depression in older Muslim Palestinians diagnosed with cancer are scarce. To gain insight into the psychological response and coping ability of this very large, globally distributed population, we collected data from older Muslim Palestinian people diagnosed with cancer concerning depression hope and perceived social support. Both hope and social support were selected because they can be manipulated through intervention and education, as shown in the geriatric literature. Data were compared to data collected from older Jewish Israeli people diagnosed with cancer.

DESIGN

The study sample comprised 143 Muslim Palestinian and 110 Jewish Israeli people diagnosed with cancer, aged ≥ 65. All participants were either in treatment for active disease or within 6 months of such treatment. Self-administered measures included depression (the Five-Item Geriatric Depression Scale), perceived social support (Cancer Perceived Agents of Social Support Questionnaire) and hope (Snyder's Adult Hope Scale).

RESULTS

Hope and depression were both found to be significantly higher among the Muslim Palestinian patients than in the Jewish Israeli participants. In both samples, higher levels of hope were associated with lower levels of depression, with this correlation stronger in the Jewish Israeli group.

CONCLUSION

To improve the psychological wellbeing of patients, healthcare providers must exercise cultural sensitivity in their interactions, respecting the perspectives of both the patients and their families. Incorporating the concept of hope into the therapeutic dialogue and language may improve psychological wellbeing and synchronize the needs and expectations of patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, resulting in more equitable, effective and value-oriented care.

The relationship of perceived social support to feelings of hopelessness under COVID-19 pandemic: The effects of epidemic risk and meaning in life

Lockdown orders were issued on January 23, 2020 in Wuhan, China, for the purpose of preventing and controlling COVID-19, which led to severe psychological problems for residents. The present study aimed to investigate the recovery model of hopelessness through interpersonal pathways during the COVID-19 epidemic. An online survey was conducted in 34 provinces (those in autonomous regions and municipalities) of China. This survey investigated residents' hopelessness and the impact of three factors on it, including their perceived social support, meaning in life, and epidemic risk levels. Results showed that both perceived social support and meaning in life negatively predicted hopelessness, while meaning in life played a partial mediating role between perceived social support and hopelessness. Further, epidemic risk level played a moderating role between perceived social support and meaning in life, indicating a “marginal zone effect.” Specifically, when comparing other province, perceived social support showed a stronger positive relationship with meaning in life among residents living in other regions of Hubei province. In sum, this study extends the recovery model of hopelessness through interpersonal pathways, and has important implications for public health emergency management.

Venezuelan Forced Migration to Peru During Sociopolitical Crisis: an Analysis of Perceived Social Support and Emotion Regulation Strategies

While many studies have examined the impact of forced migration on Venezuelan migrants in Latin America, to date scholars have not examined the effect of certain coping mechanisms, namely social support and emotion regulation. Using data from 386 Venezuelan migrants living in Peru (M = 20.22 years, SD = 1.33, 46.4% women), we investigated whether perceived social support from three different sources (family, friends, and significant other) correlated with emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and suppression) while controlling for the type of cohabitation and time of residence. The results (1) confirmed the originally proposed internal structure of the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, showing reliability and validity even in a sample of migrants. Findings demonstrated that (2) perceived social support from family positively predicted cognitive reappraisal strategy when including friends and significant other as covariates; (3) Venezuelans who have resided longer in Peru compared to more recent migrants used cognitive reappraisal strategy at a higher rate despite perceiving low family social support; (4) Venezuelans who resided in Peru for a longer period of time reported higher suppression strategy use when having low significant other support; and (5) there were gender differences regarding cognitive reappraisal as a dependent variable. More specifically, in men, family was a better predictor than friend or significant other support, while among women, family and significant other had the biggest impact. These results demonstrate the importance of social support elements and time of residence on the healthy management of emotions under difficult circumstances, such as forced migration.

Stressful life events among incarcerated women and men: Association with depression, loneliness, hopelessness, and suicidality

BACKGROUND

Justice-involved populations report a higher than average number of pre-incarceration stressful life events. However, few studies have described stressful life events which occur during incarceration, explored gender differences in these events, or evaluated the effect of these events on well-being.

METHOD

This study draws from a sample of male and female adults incarcerated in 6 prison facilities across two states (n = 160) to identify the number and type of stressful life events they experienced during incarceration, gender differences in stressful events, and the relationship between stressful life events and markers of well-being (i.e., depression, hopelessness, loneliness, suicidality). We also examined whether perceived social support would buffer the relationship between stressful events and well-being outcomes.

RESULTS

Participants on average reported experiencing 4 stressful life events during their current incarceration, the most common being relocation to another cell and being made fun of/insulted by someone in the prison. There were few gender differences in types of events experienced. Regression analyses showed that stressful life events were associated with more loneliness, as well as suicidality, but only when participants had low perceived social support.

CONCLUSIONS

Stressful life events, and drawing on social support networks to cope with stress, should be addressed in the context of correctional treatments to reduce suicide risk during incarceration.

Work engagement and associated factors among dental nurses in China

BACKGROUND

Work engagement is affected by many factors. The level of work engagement among dental nurses is unknown.

METHODS

A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 215 dental nurses. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Chinese Nurse Stressors Scale, Work-related Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, Multi-dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and General Well-Being Schedule were applied to measure Chinese nurses' work engagement, job stress, psychological flexibility, perceived social support and subjective well-being, respectively. Univariate analysis was used to identify the relationships of work engagement with demographic and psychological characteristics. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was applied to test the variance in work engagement accounted for by factors related to work engagement in the univariate analysis.

RESULTS

The level of work engagement among Chinese dental nurses was moderate or above. Work engagement was positively associated with perceived social support, psychological flexibility and subjective well-being but negatively correlated with job stress. The hierarchical regression analysis showed that age, job stress, psychological flexibility and subjective well-being were significantly correlated with work engagement, though perceived social support was not, all of those psychological variables together explained 34.7% of the variance in work engagement.

CONCLUSIONS

Dental nurses in China had an acceptable level of work engagement in terms of vigour, dedication and absorption. Increased job stress resulted in lower work engagement. Nurses who had higher levels of perceived social support, psychological flexibility and subjective well-being also had higher work engagement. It is necessary to understand the job stress of nurses, strengthen nurses' social support, relieve nurses' job stress, improve nurses' psychological flexibility and subjective well-being, which will improve nurses' work engagement levels.

Feeling matters: perceived social support moderates the relationship between personal relative deprivation and depressive symptoms

BACKGROUND

Little research describes the mechanisms underlying depressive symptoms and personal relative deprivation in Chinese populations.

METHODS

In this study, the respondents were (N = 914) residents of Beijing (17-59 years old) and robust multiple linear regressions were used to assess the main relationship between relative deprivation and depressive symptoms and social support as a potential moderator for that relationship.

RESULTS

Individuals who reported higher personal relative deprivation had greater depressive symptoms than those who reported lower personal relative deprivation. Perceived social support buffered the relationship between depressive symptoms and personal relative deprivation.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this current study demonstrate the importance of relative deprivation for psychological strain and income in explaining how socioeconomic indices correlate with depressive symptoms. They also demonstrate the need to acknowledge the interaction of perceived social support and personal relative deprivation for influencing depression.

Association between perceived social support of parents and emotional/behavioral problems in children with ASD: A chain mediation model

BACKGROUND

Parental psychosocial factors are associated with emotional/behavioral problems in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but studies investigating their relationships are limited.

AIMS

To explore the relationships between parents' perceived social support, parental resilience, parenting self-efficacy, and emotional/behavioral problems in children with ASD, and the mechanism underlying these relationships.

METHOD

The participants were 289 parents of children with ASD (including fathers and mothers) in China. A survey comprising the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Resilience Scale, Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was administered.

RESULTS

(1) Parents' perceived social support, parental resilience, and parenting self-efficacy were significantly associated with emotional/behavioral problems in children with ASD; (2) parental resilience and parenting self-efficacy were found to play a chain-mediating role in the association between perceived social support of parents and emotional/behavioral problems in children with ASD.

CONCLUSION

It is crucial to improve parents' perceived social support, parental resilience, and parenting self-efficacy to reduce emotional/behavioral problems in children with ASD.

Associations between posttraumatic stress symptoms, perceived social support and psychological distress among disaster-exposed Chinese young adults: A three-wave longitudinal mediation model

Research has documented a strong association between perceived social support, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and psychological distress (PD) among people exposed to natural disasters. However, the direction of associations between these factors remains unclear. This study examined possible mediational relationships among perceived social support, PTSS, and PD. A three-wave longitudinal design (6 months intervals) was employed in a sample of 341 Chinese university students (M_age = 21.24, SD = 2.72; 75.7% female) aged 18 to 34 who were directly exposed to a typhoon that occurred in Macao, China, during August 2017. Results indicated that perceived social support at T2 mediated the linkage between PTSS at T1 and PD at T3, and that PTSS at T2 significantly mediated the relationship between PD at T1 and perceived social support at T3. This three-wave longitudinal study highlights the key role of perceived social support on the aggravating effect of acute PTSS on long-term psychological problems, and demonstrates that adverse psychological health outcomes negatively affect the perception of supportive social resources in the context of a natural disaster.

Pandemic grief in Poland: adaptation of a measure and its relationship with social support and resilience

Millions of people are mourning the death of a loved to COVID-19. According to previous studies, the circumstances of coronavirus disease-related deaths may lead to dysfunctional grief. The purpose of this study was to introduce the Polish adaptation of the Pandemic Grief Scale (PGS) as well as to assess the relationship between dysfunctional grief due to a COVID-19 death, resilience and perceived social support. The adaptation was carried out on a general population sample of 286 individuals aged 18-54 years, with the evaluation being performed on a group comprising 214 people aged 18-78 years, who lost a loved one during the pandemic. The Polish version of PGS revealed a single-factor structure with strong internal consistency (α = 0.89). The PGS scores were associated with measures of complicated grief (Inventory of Complicated Grief), depression (Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale) and lower resilience (Resilience Scale 14), which confirmed the scale's convergent validity. No relation between PGS scores and health behaviors (Inventory of Health Behaviors) was observed, which confirmed the scale's discriminant validity. The results of the bootstrapping technique revealed that resilience mediates the relationship between perceived social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support) and dysfunctional grief (total mediation). The results of this study suggest the need for practitioners to focus on resilience-enhancing interventions and perceived social support in order to improve mental health in people who lost their loved ones during the new coronavirus pandemic.

Family resilience, perceived social support, and individual resilience in cancer couples: Analysis using the actor-partner interdependence mediation model

PURPOSE

This study aimed to examine the impact of family resilience on the individual resilience of couples during cancer and explore the potential mediating role of perceived social support and the moderating role of sex in this association in cancer patient-spouse dyads.

METHOD

The participants were 272 cancer patients and their spouses (N = 544) who completed the Family Resilience Assessment Scale, the Perceived Social Support Scale and the Resilience Scale. We adopted the actor-partner interdependence mediation model to examine whether and how patients' and their spouses' family resilience was associated with their own and their partners' perceived social support and individual resilience.

RESULTS

The results indicated that the patients' and their spouses' level of family resilience was positively associated with their own individual resilience directly and indirectly by increasing their own perceived social support. The family resilience of the spouses was associated with an increase in the patients' individual resilience only indirectly by increasing the patients' perceived social support. The spouse-actor effects between family resilience and individual resilience differed significantly by sex.

CONCLUSION

Enhancing family resilience and perceived social support within the family can improve individual resilience. The findings regarding the sex differences serve as a rationale for gender-based approaches to improving individual resilience in the family context.

Eating styles profiles in Chilean women: A latent Profile analysis

The aims of this study were to identify profiles of women based on their levels of emotional, external and restraint eating, and to determine differences in these eating styles profiles based on nutritional status, sociodemographic characteristics, stress, social support, and satisfaction with the body image. Questionnaires were administered to 884 women aged 20 to 60 living in two Chilean cities. Questionnaires included the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), the Medical Outcomes Study-Social Support Survey, and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Satisfaction with body image was assessed using a body-image-related single question. Nutritional status and sociodemographic characteristics were also assessed. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was used to identify profiles based on the three eating styles measured by the DEBQ. LPA allowed to distinguish four eating styles profiles: "women with medium emotional and external eating, high dietary restraint" (Profile 1, 36.64%); "women with low emotional, external and restraint eating" (Profile 2, 25.25%), "women with high emotional, external and restraint eating" (Profile 3, 21.85%); and "women with very low emotional and external eating, low dietary restraint" (Profile 4, 16.26%). Profile 1 had a greater proportion of women moderately satisfied with their body image. Profiles 2 and 4 scored higher in perceived social support and had greater proportions of women satisfied with their body image. Profile 4 had a higher proportion of married or cohabiting women. Profile 3 scored higher in the PSS and had higher proportion of obese and unsatisfied with their body image women. These results suggest that interventions to reduce emotional, external and restraint eating should not only involve the women, but also their family members.

Mediation role of perceived social support and burnout on financial satisfaction and turnover intention in primary care providers: a cross-sectional study

Background

Turnover intention is a major cause of reduced team morale and low work efficiency. It hinders work performance and reduces the quality of medical services. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between financial satisfaction and turnover intention and its mediators among primary care providers.

Methods

Multi-stage random cluster sampling was used to select 1241 participants from four counties and three districts in Anhui province, China. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Turnover intention was assessed with a turnover intention assessment scale. Perceived social support and burnout were measured with the 12-item Perceived Social Support Scale and the Chinese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory, respectively. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis.

Results

The findings showed high turnover intention among primary care providers (mean score 14.16 ± 4.337), and most providers reported low financial satisfaction (mean score 2.49 ± 0.990). The mean perceived social support score was 64.93 ± 13.229, and only 6.1% of primary care providers reported no burnout. Compared with participants with high financial satisfaction, those with low financial satisfaction were more likely to report higher turnover intention (β = − 0.216, p < 0.001), less perceived social support (β = 0.181, p < 0.001), and more severe burnout (β = − 0.123, p < 0.05). Turnover intention may be related to perceived social support (β = − 0.147, p < 0.001) and burnout (β = 0.239, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the effect of financial satisfaction on turnover intention was significantly mediated by perceived social support (β = − 0.027, p < 0.001) and burnout (β = − 0.029, p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Turnover intention is associated with financial satisfaction, with this association mediated by perceived social support and burnout. A reasonable mechanism needs to be established to improve financial satisfaction and perceived social support and reduce burnout among primary care providers.

Post-traumatic growth and its influencing factors among Chinese women diagnosed with gynecological cancer: A cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

The experience of cancer could lead to positive psychological changes following the struggle with diagnosis and treatment. Understanding post-traumatic growth and its influencing factors in women affected by gynecological cancer is essential to enhance their possibility of achieving positive changes. The purpose of this study was to describe the post-traumatic growth level and explore the influencing factors of post-traumatic growth in Chinese women diagnosed with gynecological cancer.

METHOD

A cross-sectional survey with a convenience sampling method was employed to collect data using the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Distress Disclosure Index (DDI), Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire (MCMQ), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The questionnaires were administered to 344 participants recruited from two hospitals in Hefei City, the capital of Anhui Province in China, between March 2018 and March 2019. All statistical analyses were performed using nonparametric tests. The Mann-Whitney U Test was used to distinguish the intergroup differences. Correlations were evaluated with Spearman rank correlation coefficients.

RESULTS

Total score for PTGI was 56.5 (range 48.0-68.0). The subscale with the highest centesimal score in the PTGI was appreciation of life and the lowest was spiritual change. The top five items with the highest scores of PTGI belonged to appreciating life, personal strength, and relating to others. Self-disclosure, confrontation, avoidance, acceptance-resignation, perceived social support, education level, cancer type and the place they lived had significant influence on post-traumatic growth.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicate that women who have high levels of perceived social support, confrontation, avoidance, self-disclosure and education level tend to experience more post-traumatic growth, while, conversely, high levels of acceptance-resignation have a negative influence on promoting post-traumatic growth. These meaningful findings propose new perspectives for promoting post-traumatic growth in Chinese women diagnosed with gynecological cancer.

Depression and anxiety symptoms are associated with problematic smartphone use under the COVID-19 epidemic: The mediation models

COVID-19 epidemic has brought wide psychological impacts on the young adults. To investigate the depression and anxiety symptoms and their associations with problematic smartphone use under the COVID-19 epidemic, a total of 847 Chinese undergraduate students joined in this study and were measured with their levels of depression and anxiety symptoms, resilience, perceived social support, the sense of school belonging and problematic smartphone use. Results showed that among the Chinese undergraduate students, the disorder rates of depression and anxiety symptoms were 29.16% and 46.64% respectively, and their symptoms ranged from mild to extreme severe. Depression and anxiety symptoms both positively predicted problematic smartphone use. Resilience, perceived social support and the sense of school belonging partially mediated both associations; resilience and the sense of school belonging exerted buffering effects, while perceived social support exacerbated the impacts. The current study advanced our understanding of the COVID-19 impacts and furthermore, suggested the protective factors for mitigating these impacts.

Perceived social support and quality of life among adolescents in residential youth care: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Residential youth care (RYC) institutions aim to provide care and stability for vulnerable adolescents with several previous and present challenges, such as disrupted attachments, wide-ranging adverse childhood experiences, mental health problems, and poor quality of life (QoL). To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to provide knowledge of the associations between perceived social support and QoL and to explore the potential moderating effect of perceived social support on QoL for adolescents who have experienced maltreatment and polyvictimization.

METHODS

All RYC institutions with adolescents between the ages 12-23 in Norway were asked to participate in the study. A total of 86 institutions housing 601 adolescents accepted the invitation, from which 400 adolescents volunteered to participate. The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Interview was used to gather information on maltreatment histories and degree of victimization; the Kinder Lebensqualität Fragebogen was used to measure QoL through several domains (overall QoL, physical well-being, emotional well-being, and self-esteem); and the Social Support Questionnaire was used to measure perceived social support. Linear regression and independent samples t-test were used to study the associations between perceived social support and QoL as well as the potential moderating effect of perceived social support in the association between maltreatment history and QoL.

RESULTS

Perceived social support was positively associated with QoL for both girls and boys, with domain-specific findings. A higher number of different types of support persons was associated with overall QoL, emotional well-being, and self-esteem for boys, but only with self-esteem for girls. Individual social support from RYC staff and friends was associated with higher QoL for girls. However, perceived social support did not moderate the association between maltreatment history and reduced QoL for either sex.

CONCLUSIONS

This study emphasizes the importance of maintaining social support networks for adolescents living in RYC, the crucial contribution of RYC staff in facilitating social support, and the potential value of social skills training for these vulnerable adolescents. Furthermore, a wider range of initiatives beyond social support must be carried out to increase QoL among adolescents with major maltreatment and polyvictimization experiences.

Enhancement from being present: Dispositional mindfulness moderates the longitudinal relationship between perceived social support and posttraumatic growth in Chinese firefighters

BACKGROUND

Among impact factors of firefighters' posttraumatic growth (PTG) investigated in previous research, perceived social support has been considered as a major protective one and has gained persuasive evidence for its positive association with PTG. However, little is known about the factors influencing the relationship between firefighters' perceived social support and PTG. This study explored whether dispositional mindfulness moderates the longitudinal relationship between perceived social support and PTG.

METHODS

A total of 340 Chinese firefighters who have worked for at least one year reported their levels of perceived social support from within/outside their families (The Perceived Social Support Scale; PSSS) and dispositional mindfulness (Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale; MAAS) at baseline, and they reported their posttraumatic growth (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory; PTGI) at both baseline and 3-month follow-up.

RESULTS

The current study found that for individuals with higher levels of dispositional mindfulness, their perceived social supports within family was positively associated with PTG, while for individuals with lower levels of dispositional mindfulness, there is no significant relationship between them. However, dispositional mindfulness did not moderate the relationship between social support from outside and PTG.

LIMITATION

Generalizations of our findings to sufferers of other traumatic experiences or different age groups need to be done with caution.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that individuals with high levels of dispositional mindfulness are more likely to benefit from the attention and awareness on the present experiences with greater compassion and hence are more able to acquire positive resources, which leads to greater development of PTG.

Collective self-esteem and perceived stress among the non-infected general public in China during the 2019 coronavirus pandemic: A multiple mediation model

This study aimed to investigate the multiple mediating effects of perceived social support and anxiety between collective self-esteem and perceived stress during the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. From February 18 to 25, 2020, 1921 participants aged 18–68 were recruited to complete the questionnaire online. The results showed that collective self-esteem reduced the perceived stress by increasing perceived social support and decreasing anxiety, and their chain mediation path. Our findings identified the important factors in reducing perceived stress and their relationship, which can be used to develop interventions to improve the mental health of the general public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Collective self-esteem (CSE) was negatively related to perceived stress.

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CSE reduced perceived stress by increasing perceived social support.

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CSE reduced perceived stress by decreasing anxiety.

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Perceived social support buffered anxiety, which formed the chain mediation.

Differential effect of childhood emotional abuse on present social support in borderline disorder and depression: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Perceived social support (PSS) is a crucial factor in physical and mental health. Previous studies found a negative association between childhood maltreatment (CM) and current PSS.

OBJECTIVE

In this paper, we investigate whether psychopathology moderates this association in a sample of patients with Depressive Disorder (DD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).

METHOD

Sixty-nine patients with DD and 110 patients with BPD were recruited to inpatient/day clinic treatment programmes for either DD or BPD. All participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Social Support Questionnaire (F-SozU). Our hypothesis was tested with a moderator analysis in a multiple linear regression model.

RESULTS

We found a significant interaction between diagnosis and CM for the CTQ total score and the emotional abuse subscale. Post hoc analyses revealed a significant negative correlation between CM and PSS only for patients suffering from BPD and not for patients with DD.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that the negative association between CM and PSS might be more pronounced in certain patient groups, particularly patients with BPD.

Contextualising video game engagement and addiction in mental health: the mediating roles of coping and social support

INTRODUCTION

A challenge in defining Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is discriminating pathological gameplay from an excessive, yet benign, involvement in video games. Although previous research has explored this theoretical distinction in the context of general computing activities, it merits consideration with regards to online gaming. Additionally, whilst comorbidities of addicted gaming and mental health outcomes have been robustly demonstrated, few studies have examined the role of mediating factors that may contextualise this relationship. As such, the present study aims to validate the distinction between addiction and engagement in online gaming, by considering the mediating roles of coping and social online and offline support in mental health.

METHOD

One hundred and thirty-five participants completed the Computer Engagement/Addiction Questionnaire (CEAS), Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale (DASS-21), Brief Approach-Avoidance Coping Questionnaire (BACQ) and two versions of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS).

RESULTS

Correlational analyses showed a clear distinction between gaming addiction and engagement in the context of all of depression, stress and in particular anxiety (DAS) not found in previous studies. Multiple mediation analysis showed a significant mediating effect of coping, (specifically withdrawal/resignation coping) on the relationship between video game addiction and symptoms of DAS. Offline perceived social support was a significant partial mediator in the relationship between gaming addiction and depression, as compared to any kind of online social support. The results support the distinction of the addiction and engagement concepts in gaming. This study may inform future clinical classifications of IGD, with implications on how pathological gaming is treated.

Posttraumatic stress symptomology and non-suicidal self-injury: The role of intrusion and arousal symptoms

BACKGROUND

Previous evidence has shown a strong relation between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomology and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI). The current study aimed to extend prior research by investigating the relationship between PTSD symptom clusters (arousal and intrusion) and NSSI, and putative moderators of this association within a large-scale adult sample in England.

METHOD

A subsample of participants with experiences of trauma in adulthood (n = 2,480) from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007 (APMS 2007) was utilised to examine the relations among PTSD intrusion and arousal symptom clusters, childhood interpersonal trauma, perceived social support and lifetime NSSI.

RESULTS

Arousal symptoms were consistently associated with NSSI, even when adjusting for multiple covariates, and had a stronger relationship than intrusion symptoms. Childhood interpersonal trauma was independently and significantly associated with lifetime NSSI after adjusting for covariates. The moderating effects of childhood interpersonal trauma and perceived social support were not statistically significant.

LIMITATIONS

The study was cross-sectional and utilised self-report assessments to measure PTSD, NSSI, and childhood interpersonal trauma.

CONCLUSION

Findings support the role of PTSD arousal and childhood interpersonal trauma in relation to NSSI. The moderating role of childhood interpersonal trauma and perceived social support lacks supporting evidence. Findings highlight the need for NSSI screening as well as for specific interventions that target the complex needs of those who exhibit elevated PTSD arousal symptoms, especially those with a history of childhood interpersonal trauma.

Discrepancy in perceived social support and related factors among Chinese college students with and without siblings

BACKGROUND

Whether there is a difference in perceived social support (PSS) and related factors among college students from one- and multiple-child families was unclear.

METHODS

We conducted a population-based, cross-sectional study between October 2017 and February 2018, randomly selected college students with siblings (n=5875; aged 19.41±1.99 years) and their counterparts without siblings (n=5175; aged 19.88±2.38 years), and then conducted an online questionnaire survey via a multi-stage cluster random sampling method. We applied the multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS) to evaluate PSS among college students. The multivariable logistic regression models were used to predict factors associated with low perceived social support in two student groups.

RESULTS

Our study found that there was a statistical difference of PSS between the sibling groups. Sex, single-parent family, irregular daily routine, prevalence of diseases or injuries and psychological distress were significantly associated with low PSS in both college students with and without siblings. Compared with single-child college students, single-parent family structure was associated with a higher odds ratio for low PSS in college students with siblings (ratio of odds ratio: 0.71, 95% confidential interval: 0.53-0.97).

LIMITATIONS

Our study was a cross-sectional study design, and all participants in current study were from Wuhan city, Hubei Province. Hence, the sample is not representative of other regions in China.

CONCLUSIONS

Although a statistical difference of PSS between the sibling groups was found in our study, single-parent family structure was more strongly associated with low PSS in multiple-child students compared with single-child students.

Sources of perceived social support on resilience amongst parents raising children with special needs in Ghana

BACKGROUND

While parenting a child with special needs is burdensome, some parents do overcome through protective resources. Social support has been widely linked to this unique ability to overcome the challenges of raising a child with special needs. In spite of this, there is still paucity of research about the influence of the sources of perceived social support on this ability, known as resilience.

AIM

This study examined three sources of perceived social support-family, friends and significant other-on the resilience of Ghanaian parents raising children with special needs while adjusting for covariates (parental gender, marital status and educational level).

METHODS

One hundred and seven (107) biological parents were recruited from special schools and parents support groups in Accra, Ghana. They completed paper-and-pencil or online questionnaires on resilience and perceived social support.

RESULTS

Output from hierarchical multiple regression after adjusting for covariates showed that only support from significant others predicted resilience. Additionally, being married was positively and holding a higher education was inversely associated with resilience.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATION

These findings indicate the importance of support from significant others in the resiliency of parents but underscore the need to fully integrate and emphasize support from the other sources in resilience enhancing interventions.

The mediating role of perceived stress on the relationship between perceived social support and self-care ability among Chinese enterostomy patients

PURPOSE

Enterostomy patients were exposed to various stressors, and self-care ability played an important role in their daily lives. This study aimed to examine the relationship between perceived social support and self-care ability among Chinese enterostomy patients and to explore whether perceived stress mediated this relationship.

METHODS

A sample of 410 enterostomy patients aged 59.68 ± 12.95 years old were recruited in the study. Participants completed a set of questionnaires including demographics, perceived stress scale, perceived social support scale, and ostomy self-care ability scale.

RESULTS

A total of 392 valid questionnaires were finally used in the data analyses among 410 questionnaires; the effective response rate was 95.6%. Results demonstrated that the scores of perceived social support were positively correlated with scores of self-care ability scores and negatively with perceived stress scores. And the effect of perceived social support on self-care ability was partially mediated by perceived stress (51.53%).

CONCLUSIONS

This study explained the mediating model that connects perceived social support with self-care ability through perceived stress, which enhances our understanding about the mediating role of perceived stress. Thus, when focusing on the self-care ability of enterostomy patients, perceived stress was as important as perceived social support.

The effects of social comparison orientation on psychological well-being in social networking sites: Serial mediation of perceived social support and self-esteem

This study investigates the effects of the social comparison orientation in social networking sites on psychological well-being. In particular, it examines the mediation effect of perceived social support and self-esteem in the relationship between social comparison orientation and psychological well-being. Data were collected through an online survey with 236 participants in South Korea. The results showed that social comparison orientation negatively influenced psychological well-being. In the relationship between social comparison orientation and psychological well-being, perceived social support had no mediation effect, self-esteem had a significant negative mediation effect, and perceived social support and self-esteem had a negative serial mediation effect. The social comparison orientation in social networking sites could elicit negative emotions, which decrease perceived social support, self-esteem, and psychological well-being. Theoretical and practical implications as well as suggestions for future studies are discussed in detail.

Psychological predictors of posttraumatic growth among adult survivors of Wenchuan earthquake in China

The current research investigates the applicability of the posttraumatic growth inventory and psychological predictors of posttraumatic growth among adult survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake in China. The results indicated that although the survivors reported a high degree of posttraumatic stress symptoms, they also experienced a moderate to high level of posttraumatic growth two years after the earthquake. The simplified Chinese version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory had good reliability in the current study. Confirmatory factor analysis of the simplified Chinese version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory verified that the original five-factor model fit the data better than the four-factor model documented by Ho et al. (2004, 2011) among Chinese cancer patients. The current study also demonstrates that positive changes in outlook, positive affect, and perceived social support are significant predictors of posttraumatic growth among adult survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake. Directions for future research on posttraumatic growth among survivors of natural disasters and implications for developing psychological interventions to help people recover from traumatic events are discussed.

Socioeconomic status and differential psychological and immune responses to a human-caused disaster

OBJECTIVE

Individuals from different socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds may respond variably to stressful events, and such differences are likely to contribute to health disparities. The current study leveraged data collected before and after a petrochemical explosion and aimed to investigate how individuals from different SES backgrounds responded to this unexpected stressor in terms of perceived social support, perceived stress, and systemic inflammation.

METHODS

Data were drawn from 124 participants (M_age = 55.9 ± 16.1 years, 69.4% female, 29.0% White) living close to a petrochemical complex where the explosion occurred in 2005. SES was assessed at baseline, and perceived stress and inflammatory markers (i.e., C-reactive protein [CRP], interleukin-6 [IL-6]) were assessed at both pre- and post-explosion. Perceived social support was assessed at post-explosion.

RESULTS

Lower SES was associated with less perceived social support. Lower SES was also associated with a larger increase in perceived stress and higher levels of IL-6, but not CRP. Perceived social support did not moderate or mediate the effects of SES on changes in perceived stress, IL-6, or CRP. The associations between SES and inflammatory markers were also not explained by changes in perceived stress.

CONCLUSION

Findings from this study support the idea that individuals from different SES backgrounds respond differently to stressors at both the psychosocial (perceived social support and perceived stress) and biological (inflammation) levels. Our findings also suggest that these two processes appear to act independently from each other.

Psychological resilience, self-acceptance, perceived social support and their associations with mental health of incarcerated offenders in China

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to analyze the mental health status of incarcerated offenders in the detention centers and related factors; and introduce psychological resilience, self-acceptance and perceived social support for further analyses, to explore the relationships between them and mental health in these special populations.

METHODS

Incarcerated offenders in two detention centers of Guangdong province were recruited. General demographic questionnaire, Self-acceptance Questionnaire (SAQ), Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-20) were addressed to the participants for investigation. Pearson correlation analysis, multiple linear regression and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were used to identify the associations and related factors.

RESULTS

Scores for GHQ-20, CD-RISC, SAQ and PSSS were 7.72 ± 4.49, 57.85 ± 17.30, 40.94 ± 5.40 and 42.99 ± 9.90, respectively. Some socio-demographic factors influenced significantly to the mental health status. After adjusting for socio-demographic factors, the scores of self-acceptance (B = -0.23, P < 0.001), perceived social support (B = -0.10, P < 0.001) and psychological resilience (B = -0.06, P < 0.001) were negatively associated with scores of mental health. Further SEM analyses suggested self-acceptance and resilience had not only mediating effects respectively, but also multiple mediating effects between perceived social support and mental health (r = -0.11, P < 0.01; r = -0.12, P < 0.01; r = -0.04, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

The levels of mental health, psychological resilience, self-acceptance and perceived social support among incarcerated offenders are generally low, and influenced by socio-demographic factors. In addition, self-acceptance, perceived social support and resilience are protective factors for mental health status of offenders; and self-acceptance and resilience mediate the association between perceived social support and mental health.

Perceived social support and health-related quality of life in older adults who have multiple chronic conditions and their caregivers: a dyadic analysis

RATIONALE

Patients who have multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) and their informal caregivers experience poorer health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Perceived social support has been shown to influence HRQOL.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed at identifying the differences between patients' and caregivers' physical and mental HRQOL; and determining the association between their perception of social support from different sources, and their own and their dyad partner's HRQOL.

METHOD

Patients with MCCs and their caregivers (345 dyads) were enrolled in a multicenter cross-sectional study conducted in Italy. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support measured perceived social support from family, friends, and significant others, and the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey measured the physical and mental component of HRQOL in dyads. The dyadic analysis was conducted using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model through structural equation modelling.

RESULTS

Family support perceived by each member of the dyad was associated positively with their own mental HRQOL, and that family support perceived by caregivers was also associated positively with patients' mental HRQOL. Greater family support perceived by caregivers was also associated with better physical HRQOL in both caregivers and patients. Moreover, greater friend-support perceived by each member of the dyad was positively associated with own physical HRQOL.

CONCLUSIONS

The study suggests the reciprocal influence of perceived social support from family and friends on physical and mental HRQOL in MCC dyads. Healthcare professionals should identify those people who are the main sources of support for each member of the dyad, and develop care plans that promote the maintenance and enhancing of this support.

Investigation of the relationship of perceived social support and spiritual well-being with postpartum depression

BACKGROUND

Postpartum depression is a significant common health problem that has negative effects on mental and physical health of mothers and their infants. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between spiritual well-being (SWB) and perceived social support with postpartum depression in new mothers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Using a descriptive survey design, 200 mothers in the 4th-8th weeks after delivery, who referred to selected therapeutic centers in Qom Province, were selected by a convenience sampling method. They were asked to answer the question of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, SWB Scale, and Farhangestan Spiritual Health Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and Chi-square.

RESULTS

The prevalence of postpartum depression in this group was 22%. Pearson correlation test showed that there was a negative correlation between high level of perceived social support and SWB with postpartum depression.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study suggest that perceived social support and SWB have an important role in low depressive symptom in mothers during postpartum. This result can help health-care professionals to pay much attention to social support and SWB as a protective factor against postpartum depression in postpartum or pregnancy care programs.

The mediating role of perceived social support between anxiety symptoms and life satisfaction in pregnant women: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Pregnancy can be stressful for women and families, so the life satisfaction of pregnant women may face significant challenges. This study aimed to identify the relationship among anxiety symptoms, perceived social support and life satisfaction, and to further explore whether perceived social support can play a mediating role.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted from June to September in Shenyang City, China in 2019. 290 effective questionnaires were collected. The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Zung's Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), the Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) as well as demographic variables were included in each questionnaire. Hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to explore the mediating role of perceived social support in the relationship between anxiety symptoms and life satisfaction. Then the mediation model was examined by the PROCESS macro for SPSS.

RESULTS

After adjusting control variables, anxiety symptoms were negatively associated with life satisfaction and explained 14.7% of the variance. Higher level of perceived social support was related to higher level of life satisfaction, explaining 21.0% of the variance. Perceived social support partly mediated the relationship between anxiety symptoms and life satisfaction for pregnant women.

CONCLUSIONS

Perceived social support played a mediating role between anxiety symptoms and life satisfaction among pregnant women. Strategies and measures to improve perceived social support may be expected to buffer the impact of anxiety symptoms on pregnant women's life satisfaction.

The effectiveness of interventions for reducing subjective and objective social isolation among people with mental health problems: a systematic review

PURPOSE

Subjective and objective social isolation are important factors contributing to both physical and mental health problems, including premature mortality and depression. This systematic review evaluated the current evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to improve subjective and/or objective social isolation for people with mental health problems. Primary outcomes of interest included loneliness, perceived social support, and objective social isolation.

METHODS

Three databases were searched for relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Studies were included if they evaluated interventions for people with mental health problems and had objective and/or subjective social isolation (including loneliness) as their primary outcome, or as one of a number of outcomes with none identified as primary.

RESULTS

In total, 30 RCTs met the review's inclusion criteria: 15 included subjective social isolation as an outcome and 11 included objective social isolation. The remaining four evaluated both outcomes. There was considerable variability between trials in types of intervention and participants' characteristics. Significant results were reported in a minority of trials, but methodological limitations, such as small sample size, restricted conclusions from many studies.

CONCLUSION

The evidence is not yet strong enough to make specific recommendations for practice. Preliminary evidence suggests that promising interventions may include cognitive modification for subjective social isolation, and interventions with mixed strategies and supported socialisation for objective social isolation. We highlight the need for more thorough, theory-driven intervention development and for well-designed and adequately powered RCTs.

Prevalence and factors associated with disruptive behavior among Iranian students during 2015: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Disruptive behavior can have lifetime consequences for youth. Prevention, early identification and treatment of disruptive behavior can improve outcomes for these youth. The purpose of the present study was to assess the prevalence of disruptive behavior among a sample of Iranian youth, and the relationship of disruptive behavior to other psychological phenomena that may be targeted for prevention, early identification and treatment.

METHOD

The sample consisted of 600 high school students (300 boys and 300 girls; ages 15 to 18 years old) selected through multi-stage random sampling in Saveh city, of Iran, in 2015. Questionnaires assessed several phenomena including demographics, life satisfaction, social support, depression, stress, smoking and hopefulness. The Disruptive Behavior Scale was also utilized. Univariate analyses were followed by multiple logistic regressions to examine relations among disruptive behavior and other constructs.

RESULTS

Prevalence of disruptive behavior was 7.5%, in boys and 3.1%, in girls. Mean scores were 22.97 ± 1.17 for boys and 19.15 ± 1.06 for girls, with a significant difference between them (P < 0.05). The results of regression revealed low life satisfaction (OR = 3.75; 95% CI: (2.37-5.91), social support (OR = 0.72; 95% CI: (0.56-0.82) and hopefulness (OR = 0.85; 95% CI: (0.62-0.92); and smoking (OR = 3.65; 95% CI: (2.19-6.06), being male (OR = 2.55; 95% CI: (1.54-4.22), and higher stress (OR = 1.92; 95% CI: (1.60-2.91) and depression (OR = 2.76; 95% CI: (1.82-4.88) were significant factors in predicting disruptive behavior.

CONCLUSION

Disruptive behavior was associted with life satisfaction, smoking, being a boy, social support, hopefulness, stress, and depression. Targeting constructs (e.g., support, stress) associated with disruptive behavior may assist in prevention, early identification and treatment of problem behavior. For example, health promotion programs to increase hopefulness, satisfaction and support, and reduce stress, depression and smoking might be of importance for prevention and treatment of disruptive behavior.

Effects of Peer Victimization and Perceived Social Support on Daily Negative Affect and Sleep Outcomes

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of peer victimization-measured at the daily and cumulative levels-on daily negative affect and multiple sleep parameters including subjective sleep quality, sleep duration, and sleep continuity (i.e., night awakening) among children affected by parental HIV from rural China. This study also aimed to test the moderation effects of perceived social support and sex in these associations.

METHODS

A total of 637 children (50.4% boys, 8-15 years of age) affected by parental HIV self-reported measures on cumulative peer victimization (i.e., the experience of victimization during the past 6 months) and perceived social support. They were also asked to report daily peer victimization, daily negative affect, and sleep outcomes over three consecutive days.

RESULTS

Multilevel models showed that cumulative peer victimization was associated with both daily negative affect and night awakenings, whereas these associations became statistically nonsignificant after controlling for trait negative affect. Daily peer victimization was significantly related to daily negative affect. All these associations were consistent for boys and girls. There were no buffering effects of perceived social support on these associations.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that peer victimization may contribute to daily negative emotional experiences among children affected by parental HIV. Interventions targeting psychological wellbeing among children affected by parental HIV may need to incorporate peer victimization component.

Perceived social support and psychological wellbeing among Nepalese adolescents: the mediating role of self-esteem

BACKGROUND

Adolescence is characterized by unique, multiple physical, psychological and social development. Understanding the well-being of adolescents and the factors that contribute to it will help towards clarifying and defining ways to better help adolescents prepare for adult life. Therefore, the present study aims to find out the relationship between Perceived Social Support (PSS) and Psychological Well-Being (PWB) among Nepalese adolescence based on mediating role of Self-esteem (SE).

METHODS

The study was conducted among 348 adolescents studying in grade 9 and 10 of government secondary level schools of Pokhara Metropolitan city, Nepal. Data were collected through self-administered standard tools-Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). For statistical analysis descriptive statistics, correlation, regression and mediation analyses were used. The statistical significance of mediating effect of the tested model was examined through a path proposed by Baron and Kenny and Bootstrap method.

RESULTS

Overall, the finding suggests that PSS indirectly affects PWB of adolescents through mediating variable SE. Adolescents who perceive good social support had higher SE, which in turn contributed to their PWB. Furthermore, the study found no significant gender difference for PSS, SE and PWB. Also among various sources of PSS, both boys and girls were more oriented towards family for social support than friends and others.

CONCLUSION

Adolescents who experience higher social support are likely to have higher SE and are more likely to have better PWB. The findings of the study will be useful to the parents, teachers, counselors, psychologist and researchers to develop strategies to enhance adolescent's mental health.

Influence of physical exercise on social anxiety of left-behind children in rural areas in China: The mediator and moderator role of perceived social support

OBJECTIVE

to explore the influence of physical exercise on social anxiety of left-behind children in rural areas, and to verify the mediator and moderator role of perceived social support.

METHODS

797 rural left-behind children were studied with physical exercise rating scale, social anxiety scale and perceived social support assessment scale. The Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated between physical exercise and social anxiety, and regression and structural equation models were used to check whether perceived social support played a mediator and moderator role or not.

RESULTS

the effect of physical exercise on social anxiety of left-behind children in rural areas is significant (P < 0.01); exercise time, exercise intensity and exercise frequency have significant effects on social anxiety; perceived social support has significant effects on social anxiety (P < 0.01); family support, friend support and other support have significant negative effects on social anxiety. Regression analysis shows that the dimensions of perceived social support (family support, friend support and other support) have some mediator effects in explaining social anxiety in sports. Perceived social support plays a moderator role in the relationship between physical exercise and social anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggests the impact of perceived social support on left-behind children in rural areas. Specifically, perceived social support has a positive impact on the level of social anxiety and a positive impact on physical exercise. It is suggested that attention should be paid to social support of rural left-behind children in the process of mental health education and school physical education.

Lack of perceived social support in patients with ischemic heart disease is associated with hopelessness

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate perceived social support (PSS) in ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients who report hopelessness.

METHODS

Using a cross-sectional design, 156 patients were screened during their hospitalization for moderate to severe state hopelessness. Twenty patients who reported hopelessness during hospitalization and maintained hopelessness one week after hospital discharge were included.

RESULTS

A moderately strong negative correlation was identified between PSS and state hopelessness (r = -0.54, p = .014). PSS was significantly higher in married/partnered patients (26.7 ± 4.85) compared to unmarried/unpartnered patients (18 ± 9.18; t = 2.45, p = .035).

CONCLUSIONS

Social support may help reduce hopelessness in vulnerable cardiac patients, especially those who are unpartnered.

Self-esteem, perceived social support, social capital, and risk-behavior among urban high school adolescents in Nepal

Adolescence is not only characterized by a period of exploration and experimentation but also by vulnerability to risk-behaviors (substance-use, suicidal behavior, and sexual behavior) that can have many negative consequences. Given the lack of studies in Nepal and the variable results from international studies on the association of self-esteem, perceived social support (PSS), and social capital (SC) with risk behaviors, this study aimed to assess the role of these factors by specifying different sources of PSS (family, friends, and others) and SC (family, school, and neighbors), and controlling for demographic, socioeconomic-status (SES), family, and school related factors. A total of 943 adolescents (grades 9-11) in 8 schools from 3 provinces in Nepal participated in the study, and were selected by multi-stage, cluster, random sampling. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire (response rate; 91.9%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis (<0.05 significance) revealed that family SC (OR = 0.83) and PSS from family (OR = 0.95) were negatively associated with substance-use. Self-esteem (OR = 0.90), family and school SC (OR = 0.80 and 0.91, respectively), and PSS from family and friends (OR = 0.95 and 0.96, respectively) were protective against suicidal risk. None of the independent variables showed a preventive association with sexual behavior, but self-esteem was positively associated (OR = 1.11). Therefore, to improve the likelihood of adolescents becoming healthy adults, family and school level interventions to enhance self-esteem, PSS, and SC are helpful in protecting them against substance use and suicidal behavior. On the other hand, adolescents with high self-esteem are at greater risk for inappropriate sexual behavior and should therefore be monitored.

The effect of perceived social support on chemotherapy-related symptoms in patients with breast cancer: A prospective observational study

OBJECTIVE

Few studies have examined the effect of perceived social support (PSS) on chemotherapy-related symptoms (CRS). This study examined the effect of PSS on CRS in 184 patients with breast cancer.

METHODS

Participants were consecutively enrolled from a tertiary general hospital in Seoul, South Korea. CRS were assessed eight times, from before the first neoadjuvant chemotherapy to six months after the end of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory. PSS was evaluated once, before the first neoadjuvant chemotherapy session, using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Two groups were formed based on MSPSS scores: the low PSS group (n = 62) and the moderate-to-high PSS group (n = 122). Linear mixed model analyses were used to compare the change in CRS severity between the two groups during chemotherapy.

RESULTS

Results indicated a significant group-by-time (low PSS or moderate-to-high PSS; 8 periods of chemotherapy) interaction for pain (p = .005), nausea (p = .033), insomnia (p < .001), distress (p = .003), dyspnea (p = .014), memory loss (p = .021), vomiting (p = .016), and numbness (p = .008) in which the moderate-to-high PSS group showed significantly lower levels of increase in those symptoms during chemotherapy. Moreover, the effect of PSS on CRS differed depending on the sources of PSS.

CONCLUSION

Patients with moderate-to-high PSS experience less severe CRS compared with patients with low PSS during chemotherapy. The current findings indicate the potential benefits of providing social support in the management of CRS.

Evaluating the Role of Autistic Traits, Social Anxiety, and Social Network Changes During Transition to First Year of University in Typically Developing Students and Students on the Autism Spectrum

This is the first longitudinal study to quantitatively evaluate changes in social network structure (SNS) and perceived social support (PSS) amongst first-year students on the autism spectrum (n = 21) and typically developing (TD; n = 182) students transitioning to university. The relative impact of changes in SNS/PSS, students’ social anxiety and autistic traits, on first-year university transition outcomes were also examined. Both groups gained friends over time who provided better support quantity and quality during first year of university. Social anxiety showed long-term differential negative impact on students on the autism spectrum and TD students’ academic, social and personal/emotional adjustments, and institutional attachment, suggesting stakeholders should focus on delivering interventions to reduce social anxiety to improve university transition outcomes.

Comparing Perceived Social Support and Perceived Stress in Healthy Pregnant Women and Pregnant Women with Preeclampsia

Background

Preeclampsia is a prevalent side effect of pregnancy. Different studies have reported different results about the relationship between mental stress and blood pressure disorders. In addition, social support is highly important to help women who experience risky pregnancy in adapting to the stressors they experience. This study aimed to compare perceived social support and perceived stress in women with and without preeclampsia.

Methods and Materials

Fifty pregnant women definitely diagnosed with preeclampsia and 50 healthy pregnant women visiting public hospitals including Hazrat Masoumeh, Motazedi, and Imam Reza in Kermanshah-Iran took part in a descriptiveanalytical study from June 2017 to January 2018. Data gathering tools included demographics questionnaire, social support appraisals scale and perceived stress scale. The collected data was analyzed with SPSS (v.20) using independent t-test.

Results

The mean score of perceived social support in the preeclampsia and non-preeclampsia groups were 69.88±7.3 and 76.80±7.6 respectively (P<0.01). The mean score of perceived stress in the preeclampsia and non-preeclampsia groups were 35.6±8.7 and 26.01±5.56 respectively (P<0.01). This means that compared with healthy women, women with preeclampsia perceived more stress and less social support.

Conclusion

In comparison with healthy pregnant women, women with preeclampsia perceived more stress and less social support. Healthcare providers should recommended to pay more attention to improving social support and attenuating stress in pregnant women.

Perceived social support and suicide ideation in Chinese rural left-behind children: A possible mediating role of depression

OBJECTIVE

Psychologically distressed rural Chinese left-behind children (LBC) are at an increased risk of suicide. However, within this population, suicide and potential associated factors are severely under-discussed. This study primarily aims to explore the association between perceived social support and suicide ideation (SI), and to discuss the possible mediating role of depression in this association.

METHOD

A population representative sampling survey was carried out with 2,898 LBC in southwest China. Relevant information was collected by means of face-to-face interviews. Binary and ordinal logistic regression models were employed to screen factors associated with perceived social support, depression and SI. Path analysis was applied to estimate the direct and indirect associations between social support and SI.

RESULTS

Multivariate logistic regression models revealed that, among the four sources, perceived social support from relatives living together, friends, and parents, but not teachers, was inversely associated with SI in LBC. Moreover, depression and SI were strongly associated with each other: Compared with non-depressed LBC, depressed LBC were 6.76 (95%CI: 3.85, 11.87) times more likely to report prominent SI. Path analysis revealed that it is possible that the association between perceived social support and SI was almost entirely mediated by depression.

CONCLUSIONS

Perceived social support from relatives living together, friends, and parents may be a protective factor against SI among rural Chinese LBC. Intervention strategies and measures that are targeted towards improving social support, especially cultivating closeness between LBC and their grandparents, could be effective in reducing SI in LBC.

Depression, Anxiety, Perceived Stress, and Their Changes Predict Greater Decline in Physical Health Functioning over 12 Months Among Patients with Coronary Heart Disease

BACKGROUND

Although the deleterious impact of psychological distress on patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) is recognized, few studies have examined the influence of change in psychological distress on health outcomes over time. This study investigated whether three common manifestations of distress (depression, anxiety, and perceived stress) and their changes predicted the decline in physical functioning in CHD patients over 12 months. In addition, perceived social support was examined as a buffer of psychological distress or a direct predictor of physical functioning.

METHODS

Participants were 255 CHD patients with a mean age of 63 (SD = 8.65) years, including 208 men and 47 women. Psychological distress and physical functioning were assessed at baseline, 6 months and 12 months. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the influences of psychological factors on physical functioning over 12 months. All models were adjusted for baseline physical functioning, age, gender, marital status, education, BMI, and length of participation at a wellness center.

RESULTS

For each psychological distress variable (depression, anxiety, or perceived stress), both the baseline (βs = - 0.19 to - 0.32, ps = 0.008 to < 0.001) and its respective change over time (βs = - 0.17 to - 0.38, ps = 0.020 to < 0.001) independently and significantly predicted greater decline in physical functioning at 6 and 12 months, after adjusting for covariates. Perceived social support predicted greater improvement in physical functioning at 12 months (β = 0.13, p = 0.050), but it did not buffer impact of psychological distress.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings underscore the importance of monitoring various forms of psychological distress continuously over time for CHD patients.

Developing an Online Tool to Measure Social Network Structure and Perceived Social Support Amongst Autistic Students in Higher Education: A Feasibility Study

The academic, daily-living, and social challenges all students face during university transition can become magnified for many autistic students, who might struggle to adapt to changes in their social network structure (SNS) and perceived social support (PSS). This study assessed the development, feasibility, and convergent validity of a novel online tool (Social Network and Perceived Social Support-SNaPSS) designed to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate SNS and PSS during university transition. SNaPSS demonstrated good feasibility for completion amongst autistic students (Study 1, n = 10, 17-19 years), and adequate convergent validity against other PSS, autism symptom severity, and social anxiety measures amongst autistic (n = 28) and typically developing students (Study 2, n = 112, 17-19 years). Broader implications of SNaPSS to measure SNS/PSS are discussed.

The relation between psychological profiles and quality of life in patients with lung cancer

Objective

Previous studies in patients with lung cancer examined the association between psychological factors with quality of life (QoL), as well as the association between psychological factors with sociodemographic and medical characteristics. However, knowledge about the impact of combinations of psychological characteristics on QoL is still lacking. Therefore, the current study aimed to identify psychological profiles, covering multiple psychological factors. Additionally, the association between these profiles with QoL and with sociodemographic and medical characteristics was explored.

Methods

Patients with lung cancer (n = 130, mean age = 68.3 ± 8.6 years; 49% men) completed questionnaires focusing on sociodemographic information, anxiety and depressive symptoms (HADS), coping (COPE-easy), perceived social support (PSSS), and QoL (WHOQOL-BREF). Medical information was extracted from patients’ medical records. A step-3 latent profile analysis was performed to identify the psychological profiles. Multinomial logit models were used to explore the medical and sociodemographic correlates of the profiles and the relation with QoL.

Results

Four psychological profiles were identified as follows: (1) anxious, extensive coping repertoire (33%); (2) depressive, avoidant coping (23%); (3) low emotional symptoms, active/social coping (16%); and (4) low emotional symptoms, limited coping repertoire (29%). QoL in profile 1 (QoL = 6.59) was significantly different from QoL in profile 3 (QoL = 8.11, p = .001) and profile 4 (QoL = 7.40, p = .01). QoL in profile 2 (QoL = 6.43) was significantly different from QoL in profile 3 (QoL = 8.11, p = .003) and profile 4 (QoL = 7.40, p = .02). Regarding QoL, no other significant differences were found. Sociodemographic and medical characteristics were not distinctive for the profiles (all p values > .05).

Conclusion

Determining psychological profiles of patients with lung cancer in an early stage provides information that may be helpful in aligning care with patients’ unique needs, as it will help in more adequately selecting those patients who are in need of psychological screening and/or psychological treatment as compared with determining scores on single psychological factors.

Interplay of Self-efficacy and Social Support in Predicting Quality of Life in Cardiovascular Patients in Pakistan

The primary objective of the present study was to assess independent and interactive relations of perceived social support and self-efficacy with four quality of life (QOL) domains namely physical, psychological, social, and environmental in cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients from a South Asian region. Participants were 172 (age 22-60 years) patients recruited from three major government sector hospitals from the fifth biggest city of South Asia. It was found that overall CVD patients had a better QOL in psychological and environmental domains compared to social and psychological. Furthermore, findings from hierarchical regression analyses indicated that perceived social support and self-efficacy were positively associated with the four QOL domains. Besides main effects, a synergistic interaction between social support and self-efficacy emerged indicating that perceived social support was strongly associated with physical and social QOL in CVD patients who had higher self-efficacy levels, while, perceived social support was weakly associated with the physical and social QOL in CVD patients who had lower self-efficacy levels.

Efficacy of an Internet-based intervention for job stress and burnout among medical professionals: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Medical professionals are at high risk of job stress and burnout. Research shows that work-related stress can be reduced through enhancing psychological resources, in particular, self-efficacy and perceived social support. These psychological resources can operate either individually or sequentially: in line with the cultivation hypothesis, self-efficacy precedes and cultivates perceived social support, whereas according to the enabling hypothesis it is perceived social support that comes first and enables self-efficacy. Based on this theoretical framework we developed an internet-based intervention, Med-Stress, dedicated to healthcare providers and aimed at reducing job stress and burnout. Med-Stress contains two modules that enhance self-efficacy and perceived social support, which are tested in four variants reflected in four study conditions. We expect that sequential enhancement of resources: self-efficacy and social support or social support and self-efficacy will yield larger posttest results than individual enhancement.

METHODS

In this four-arm randomized controlled trial we will test four variants of the Med-Stress intervention. The trial is open for professionally active medical providers aged at least 18 years (N = 1200) with access to an Internet-connected device. We will compare the effects of two experimental conditions reflecting cultivation and enabling effects of self-efficacy and perceived social support (sequential enhancement of resources), and two active controls strengthening self-efficacy or perceived social support. Job stress and job burnout will be the primary outcomes, whereas depression, job-related traumatic stress, and work engagement will be secondary ones. Additionally, we will measure perceived social support, self-efficacy to manage job stress and burnout, and the ability to obtain social support, exposure to traumatic events, and users' expectancy and credibility of the intervention. All assessments will be applied before the intervention, at posttest (at 3 or 6 weeks depending on the study condition), and at 6-month and 12-month follow up. In the case of experimental groups, additional measurements will be taken after enhancing each resource.

DISCUSSION

Resource-based interventions are relatively context-free and could potentially benefit medical professionals across the field. If Med-Stress is successful, its most effective variant could be implemented in the healthcare system as a standalone, supportive tool for employees.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03475290 Registered on 23 March 2018.

High perceived social support and hospital readmissions in an older multi-ethnic, limited English proficiency, safety-net population

BACKGROUND

Early readmission amongst older safety-net hospitalized adults is costly. Interventions to prevent early readmission have had mixed success. The role of perceived social support is unclear. We examined the association of perceived social support in 30-day readmission or death in older adults admitted to a safety-net hospital.

METHODS

This is an observational cohort study derived from the Support From Hospital to Home for Elders (SHHE) trial. Participants were community-dwelling English, Spanish and Chinese speaking older adults admitted to medicine wards at an urban safety-net hospital in San Francisco. We assessed perceived social support using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). We defined high social support as the highest quartile of MSPSS. We ascertained 30-day readmission and mortality based on a combination of participant self-report, hospital and death records. We used multiple/multivariable logistic regression to adjust for patient demographics, health status, and health behaviors. We tested for whether race/ethnicity modified the effect high social support had on 30-day readmission or death by including a race-social support interaction term.

RESULTS

Participants (n = 674) had mean age of 66.2 (SD 9.0), with 18.8% White, 24.8% Black, 31.9% Asian, and 19.3% Latino. The 30-day readmission or death rate was 15.0%. Those with high social support had half the odds of readmission or death than those with low social support (OR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.26-0.88). Interaction analyses revealed race modified this association; higher social support was protective against readmission or death among minorities (AOR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.16-0.76) but increased likelihood of readmission or death among Whites (AOR = 3.7, 95% CI 1.07-12.9).

CONCLUSION

In older safety-net patients nearing discharge, high perceived social support may protect against 30-day readmission or death among minorities. Assessing patients' social support may aid targeting of transitional care resources and intervention design. How perceived social support functions across racial/ethnic groups in health outcomes warrants further study.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NIH trials registry number ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01221532 .

The correlation between perceived social support and childbirth experience in pregnant women

OBJECTIVE

In recent years, the role of social support on different aspects of health especially pregnancy and childbirth has been emphasized. Social support facilitates individual access to necessary resources during stressful periods of life like pregnancy and childbirth. Present evidence of effects of social support on birth experience is inconsistent, Therefore, this study aimed to determine the correlation between perceived social support in pregnant women and their childbirth experience.

DESIGN

Analytic-cross sectional survey.

SETTING

Al-Zahra maternity hospital in Rasht, Iran.

PARTICIPANTS

185 pregnant women who were in latent phase of labor entered the study and finally, 89.18% (n = 165) completed the study.

MEASUREMENTS

To measure perceived social support, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support was used at latent phase of labor and to measure childbirth experience, the Childbirth Experience Questionnaire was used within 2 h after childbirth until the mother was discharged.

RESULTS

Mean score of perceived social support by significant others (4.18 ± 0.79) was higher than other dimensions of social support. Total mean score of childbirth experience was 58.13 ± 10.72 (score range: 22-88). Logistic regression results showed that support by significant others (P = 0.042, OR = 1.56), gestational age (P = 0.003, OR = 1.56) and mode of delivery (P = 0.004, OR = 0.33) are predictor variables of childbirth experience.

KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Perceived social support by significant others (spouse) during pregnancy has an important effect on woman`s childbirth experience. Therefore, providing training programs for family especially for spouse in order to increase maternal support during pregnancy is recommended, which can lead to a positive childbirth experience.

Social support is associated with technology use in old age

BACKGROUND

The use of technological innovations can play a significant role in healthy aging and social participation in old age; however, it is not well understood how social contexts can influence or support older adults' use of technology. This study explored the associations between technology use, perceived technology-related support and actual technology-related social support. It was expected that older adults who perceived having more supportive resources available would be more likely to receive actual support in technology-related issues, which, in turn would explain a greater use of technology in everyday life.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The data are based on a sample of 107 community-dwelling older adults between 60 and 93 years of age (mean age = 73.66 years, 40% male). Measures included self-reports of actual technology-related support, perceived technology-related support, the use of different devices related to digital information and communication technology and personal characteristics (e.g. chronological age, gender, education and functional limitations). A path model was used to explore the research hypotheses.

RESULTS

Actual technology-related support received was positively associated with a greater number of devices used. Participants received more support with technology when they perceived a greater availability of supportive resources. The actual support received mediated the influence of perceived support and functional limitations on technology use.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study show that the provision of supportive behavior is associated with the actual use of technology. Moreover, the findings shed light on the individual and contextual factors that explain differences in actual support received.

[The mediating role of mental capital in understanding social support and job satisfaction]

Objective: To understand the relationship between perceived social support, psychological capital and job satisfaction, and analyze the mediating effect of psychological capital between perceived social support and job satisfaction. Methods: In 2017, June to July, we use cluster random sampling method to evaluate 888 medical staff from 5 hospitals in Jinan and Yantai in Shandong provience by Perceived Social Support Scale、PsyCap Questionnaire and MinnesotaSatisfaction Questionnaire. Results: Correlation analysis showed that perceived social support was significantly positively correlated with self-efficacy, hope, resilience, optimism and job satisfaction (r=0.42, 0.42, 0.56, 0.47, P<0.05) . There was a significant positive correlation between job satisfaction and self-efficacy, hope, resilience and optimism (r=0.45, 0.50, 0.43, 0.46, P< 0.05) . The structural equation model shows that hope and optimism play a significant partly mediating effect between perceived social support and job satisfaction. Conclusion: Perceived social support is a positively predictive factor of job satisfaction in medical staff. The Increase of perceived social support and psychological capital are conducive to improving job satisfaction of medical staff's.