[Assessing size of social network and emotional support sources and related factors among cancer patients]

ABSTRACT

Cancer is a potentially life-threatening disease that engenders considerable distress in personal, familial and social dimensions of patient's life. Numerous changes in their life, communications and social activities, increase the need for social support. The study aimed at assessing size of social networks and sources of emotional support in cancer patients. Using a descriptive-correlational design, 220 cancer patients drawn from Firozghar, Rasoul-e Akram Medical Complex and cancer institute of Imam Khomeini Complex Hospital, were selected through Sequential sampling method. Data were collected using Nortouse Emotional support questionnaire from five sources of spouses, family members, friends, nurses and physicians. All data were computed by SPSS software [Version 13] using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficients. Mean of emotional support scores was 137.39 and mean score of social network's size was 4.17. Patients had perceived the supports mostly from their spouses and family members, then from physicians, nurses and friends, consecutively. Analysis of variance test showed significant association between perceived emotional support with age, marital status, economic condition, job, ethnicity and size of social network [P=0.001]. Family is the main emotional supportive source in cancer patients. Nurses must regard the patients a whole and consider all their existence domains including emotional supports, quality and quantity of their support sources and patients' perception of such sources. They should accumulate the support sources of the community and family participation in order to improve support provisions to patients and decrease their tensions. This study didn't include other domains of social support and personal characteristics as interferer factors in perceiving the supports, which needs to be investigated by further studies