title: Social support as a mediator of optimism and distress in breast cancer survivors.
abstract: Breast cancer patients can experience emotional distress as a result of diagnosis and treatment. Higher levels of optimism and social support are associated with less emotional distress in cancer patients. This 12-month prospective study followed 69 women who had completed treatment for Stages 0-II breast cancer. At 3-month intervals, participants completed measures of mood disturbance, optimism, and social support. As hypothesized, affective social support mediated the relationship between optimism and distress in early-stage breast cancer survivors at baseline and 6 months but not at 1 year. In contrast, confidant social support did not mediate the optimism-distress relationship at any time point. Clinical and research implications of these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, Brown Medical School and The Miriam Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. jtrunzo@bryant.edu
authors.forename: Joseph J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Trunzo
authors.forename: Bernardine M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Pinto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012944:Social Support; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*