Social correlates of distress following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: Exploring the role of loneliness and cognitive processing

Catherine E. Mosher*, Stephen J. Lepore, Lisa Wu, Jane Austin, Heiddis Valdimarsdottir, Scott Rowley, Luis Isola, William H. Redd, Christine Rini

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

49 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study investigated whether loneliness and cognitive processing explain the influence of negative (social constraints) and positive (emotional support) relationship qualities on cancer survivors' distress.Participants were 195 cancer survivors who had undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.Path analysis supported the hypothesis that loneliness and cognitive processing would mediate the association between social constraints and distress.Only loneliness mediated the association between emotional support and distress-an indirect effect significant only when support came from family and friends rather than a partner.Findings suggest that addressing social constraints may enhance cancer survivors' adjustment.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1022-1032
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Health Psychology
Volume17
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2012

Funding

This study was supported by grant RSGPB-07- 285-01-CPPB from the American Cancer Society, awarded to Christine Rini. We would like to thank Katie Basmajian and Anna Marie Vu for assistance with recruitment and data collection for this study.

Keywords

  • cancer survivorship
  • hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
  • loneliness
  • psychological distress
  • social constraints
  • social support

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Psychology

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