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The impact of social support on benefit finding among patients with advanced lung cancer and their caregivers: based on actor-partner interdependence mediation model

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Abstract

Purpose

Advanced lung cancer and its treatment serve as a sudden stressful event that profoundly impacts the psychological experience of both the patients and their primary caregiver. This study used dyadic analyses to explore the dyadic effects of social support on benefit finding and whether hope level mediates the patient-caregiver dyads in advanced lung cancer.

Methods

Two hundred ninety-five pairs of patients with advanced lung cancer and primary caregivers completed the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), the Herth Hope Index (HHI), and the Benefit Finding Scale (BFS). Dyadic analyses were conducted using structural equation modelling based on the actor-partner interdependence mediation model.

Results

The results indicated that for both patients (B = 0.259, 95% CI = 0.135−0.423, P < 0.001) and their primary caregivers (B = 0.596, 95% CI = 0.403−0.838, P < 0.001), hope level mediated the actor effect of social support on benefit finding; social support was positively associated with hope level and further enhanced benefit finding. Regarding partner effects (B = 0.242, 95% CI = 0.119−0.404, P < 0.001), primary caregivers’ social support significantly indirectly affected patients’ benefit finding through patients’ hope level.

Conclusion

There is an interaction between social support, hope level, and benefit finding in patients with advanced lung cancer and their primary caregivers. Healthcare professionals ought to be vigilant in recognizing patients and caregivers who are vulnerable, have limited social support, and possess diminished hope levels. At the same time, nurses should provide timely psychological support and counseling to patients and their caregivers, encourage them to actively participate in social activities, and inspire their confidence and hope in life, thus improving their benefit findings.

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Data availability

No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

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Acknowledgements

Thank you to the healthcare providers and care managers who helped with this study and many thanks to the patients who gave their time to this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing, Qingdao University, 308 Ningxia Road, PO Box 266071, Qingdao, 266071, Shandong, China

    Mengjiao Zhao, Guangyi Xu & Yunxia Jiang

  2. Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266100, Shandong, China

    Na Na & Guixia Wu

  3. Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Qingdao Shi Zhongxin Yiyuan, Qingdao, 266042, Shandong, China

    Naijiao Xing

  4. Cancer Precision Medical Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266100, Shandong, China

    Hua Zhu

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  1. Mengjiao Zhao
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Data collection and resources were performed by Mengjiao Zhao, Na Na, Naijiao Xing, Hua Zhu, Guixia Wu, and Guangyi Xu. Methodology and formal analysis were performed by Mengjiao Zhao. Writing—review and editing and supervision were performed by Yunxia Jiang. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Mengjiao Zhao, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yunxia Jiang.

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Ethics approval

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The questionnaire and methodology for this study was approved by the Human Research Ethics committee of the Qingdao University (Ethics approval number: QDU-HEC-2022207).

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Zhao, M., Na, N., Xing, N. et al. The impact of social support on benefit finding among patients with advanced lung cancer and their caregivers: based on actor-partner interdependence mediation model. Support Care Cancer 32, 287 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-024-08435-0

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