title: The role of social support, family identification, and family constraints in predicting posttraumatic stress after cancer.
abstract: We compared social support with other potential psychosocial predictors of posttraumatic stress after cancer. These included family identification, or a sense of belonging to and commonality with family members, and family constraints, or the extent to which family members are closed, judgmental, or unreceptive in conversations about cancer. We also tested the hypothesis that family constraints mediate the relationship between family identification and cancer-related posttraumatic stress.
  
  
  
  We used a cross-sectional design. Surveys were collected from 205 colorectal cancer survivors in Tayside, Scotland.
  
  
  
  Both family identification and family constraints were stronger independent predictors of posttraumatic stress than social support. In multivariate analyses, social support was not a significant independent predictor of posttraumatic stress. In addition, there was a significant indirect effect of family identification on posttraumatic stress through family constraints.
  
  
  
  Numerous studies demonstrate a link between social support and posttraumatic stress. However, experiences within the family may be more important in predicting posttraumatic stress after cancer. Furthermore, a sense of belonging to and commonality with the family may reduce the extent to which cancer survivors experience constraints on conversations about cancer; this may, in turn, reduce posttraumatic stress.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Swartzman
authors.affiliation: School of Social Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sani
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, UK.|Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Alastair J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Munro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000073116:Cancer Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012606:Scotland; D012944:Social Support; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology
keywords: cancer; oncology; posttraumatic stress; social constraints; social identification; social support