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 language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1022-1032 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Journal of Health Psychology |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 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
