The Relation of Social Support and Coping to Positive Adaptation to Breast Cancer

Abstract

This study examined the relation of perceived social support and coping to positive adaptation to breast cancer. Participants were 56 women between the ages of 38 and 58 who had been diagnosed with Stage I or II breast cancer from 1 to 26 months earlier. Social support was measured with the Social Provisions Scale (Cutrona, C. and Russell, D. (1987). The provisions of social relationships and adaptation to stress. In: Jones, W.H. and Perlman, D. (Eds.), Advances in Personal Relationships , Vol. 1, pp. 37-67, JAI Press, Greenwich, CT) and coping was measured with the revised Ways of Coping Scales (Folkman, S., Lazarus, R.S., Dunkel-Schetter, C., DeLongis, A. and Gruen, R. (1986). The dynamics of a stressful encounter: cognitive appraisal, coping, and encounter outcomes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 50 , 992-1003). Adjustment was measured with the Scales of Psychological Well-Being (Ryff, C.D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? explorations on the meaning of psychological well being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 57 , 1069-1081) and frequency of positive health behaviors. Results showed that perceived social support and approach coping strategies were associated with positive adjustment. Avoidance coping strategies were negatively related to psychological well-being but were unrelated to positive health behaviors. The results of an exploratory path analysis were consistent with a direct relation and an indirect relation through approach coping of social support with psychological well-being.

Keywords:

• Social Support
• Coping
• Breast Cancer
• Psychological Well-being
• Health Behaviors