title: Social support and quality of life of patients prior to stem cell or bone marrow transplantation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the positive and detrimental aspects of social support prior to allogeneic or autologous bone marrow transplantation/stem cell transplantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients completed the German version of the Illness-specific Social Support Scale (ISSS) and the Quality of Life (QoL) Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants were 282 patients (62% autologous SCT, 39% women, 97% haematological malignancies, 72% with partner). We found satisfactory reliability values for both ISSS scales: positive support (Cronbach's alpha=.91) and problematic support (=.73). Patients living with a partner displayed higher scores in positive interaction than patients living alone (p<.001). Analysis showed a significant main effect of partnership, p<.001; F(1)=8.345, and better scores for women, p<1; F(1)=2.758. Furthermore, we determined a negative correlation between problematic interaction and emotional/social function (p<.001) and a positive correlation with insomnia, but no correlation between positive interaction, QLQ-C30, and Karnofsky's index.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We could distinguish between helpful and harmful support, and determine clinically important associations of problematic support. Partnership seems to be a major source of positive interaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Clinic, Ludwig- Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany. eckhard.frick@hfph.mwn.de
authors.forename: Eckhard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Frick
authors.forename: Gesa
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ramm
authors.forename: Irmgard
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bumeder
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schulz-Kindermann
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tyroller
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hasenbring
mesh_terms: D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires