Factors Influencing Perception of Social Support among Patients with Advanced Cancer Receiving Palliative Care in Bangladesh

Abstract

The perception of social support among patients with advanced diseases is influenced by various factors. The socio-cultural context of Bangladesh significantly shapes the experience of patients with advanced cancer and their perception of social support. This study’s aim was to assess the perceived social support by these patients and investigate the factors that shape their perception. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 115 advanced cancer patients admitted to the palliative medicine department of a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh. Perceived social support was measured by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Perceived social support was moderate to high for most (74.7%) of the participants. The majority (97.4%) perceived moderate to high level of support from their families. The lowest level of support was perceived from friends (53%). Factors such as economic status, family size, companionship of children, and emotional support from spouses influenced the level of perceived social support. Social support is one of the important aspects of palliative care. Identifying the factors influencing the perception of social support among cancer patients is essential for palliative care professionals to effectively address their care needs.

Keywords:

• Bangladesh
• cancer
• palliative care
• social support

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the contribution of Palash Chandra Banik, Associate Professor, Department of Non-communicable Diseases, Bangladesh University of Health Sciences, Dhaka for his contribution in data analysis and editing this manuscript.

Authors contribution

Jheelam Biswas: Conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, funding acquisition, investigation, methodology, project administration, resources and software, validation, writing original draft, editing and review

A K. M. Motiur Rahman Bhuiyan: Conceptualization, funding acquisition, methodology, supervision, validation, writing original draft, editing and review

Afroja Alam: Conceptualization, methodology, supervision, writing original draft, editing and review

Mostofa Kamal Chowdhury: Conceptualization, methodology, supervision, writing original draft, editing and review

Ethical considerations

Ethical approval for both the research and consent procedure (Approval no: BSMMU/2023/8890, Date: 15/06/2023) was obtained from the Institutional Review Board, BSMMU. Informed consent was taken from all eligible participants.

Data availability statement

All data relevant to the study are accessible in Mendely data doi: 10.17632/84dftkxmd8.1.

Additional information

Funding

This work is funded by Bangabandhu Skeikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.