Treatment adherence is a key health behavior in chronic patients. This study investigates the mediating role of perceived social support in the relationship between perceived self-efficacy and adherence to treatment. The sample is composed of 202 chronic patients living in Spain. Stratified random sampling was used to select participants based on the variables age group and type of disease. As predicted, patient self-efficacy is associated with lower levels of nonadherence as well as greater perceived social support. The results show that self-efficacy has a significant direct effect and an indirect effect (through social support and satisfaction with support) on patient adherence, specifically regarding diet and exercise. This study contributes to understand the processes underlying increased levels of nonadherence to treatment in people with lower self-efficacy and less social support. The results are discussed in terms of their contribution to future intervention programs for improving adherence to treatment in chronic patient groups.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the association of social support and the sense of community (SOC) with satisfaction with life (SWL) and immigrant health. We propose a model in which perceived social support from close sources (family and friends), as mediated by SOC and life satisfaction, would be positively associated with mental and physical health. Limited evidence exists from multivariate models that concurrently examine the association of both factors with SWL and health-related outcomes. We investigate the hypothesized association in a structural equations model (SEM) analysis. The participants consisted of 1131 immigrants (49% men and 51% women) (age 18–70, M = 33). The study was conducted in Malaga (Spain). Cross-sectional data were collected using a random-route sampling and survey methodology. In this model, greater social support from native friends was associated with a greater SOC. Social support from family and native friends was associated with greater SWL. Also, a greater SOC was associated with greater SWL. No association was found between SOC and mental health symptoms, whereas, greater SWL was associated with fewer mental health and illness symptoms. These results suggest that among immigrants, support networks involving family and native friends, and integration into the community are important influences for immigrants to achieve life satisfaction. These results are widely applicable and have implications that are relevant to the design of health promotion interventions.

IntroductionThe aim of the present study is to carry out a multidimensional analysis on the relation between satisfaction with social support received, resilience and optimism in cancer patients and their quality of life.Materials and MethodsData were gathered through questionnaires fulfilled by 142 cancer patients. Data relate to sociodemographic, health, quality of life, social support, resilience and optimism.ResultsSatisfaction with the sources and types of support, resilience and optimism relates positively with quality of life. Predictive models show that informational support from friends is the variable that most increases patients’ general health, while emotional support from the partner is the one that best improves how patients cope with the disease. In the same line, emotional support from the partner, together with informational support from family are the ones that most contribute to reduce patients’ symptoms. Resilience improves general health and functioning, and reduces symptoms. Patients’ optimism and resilience also reduce symptoms. Gender differences were found, with females showing lower quality of life than males, mainly in how they cope with cancer. Patients in the stage of treatment showed lower quality of life and higher symptoms. Such increase was observed in patients who received hormonotherapy or chemotherapy.DiscussionImportant practical implications can be drawn from results, which could help improve cancer patients’ quality of life through intervention strategies aimed at increasing their resilience, optimism and the social support provided by their closer sources.

Objetivo: El presente estudio se plantea como objetivo principal analizar cómo la percepción de apoyo de los padres de niños diagnosticados con enfermedad oncológica influye en la percepción de estrés y la satisfacción vital. Método: Participaron 112 padres de niños con patología oncológica que recibían tratamiento en Málaga y pertenecían a una asociación de padres de niños afectados por esta enfermedad. Resultados: Respecto a las fuentes analizadas la percepción de apoyo familiar disminuye la frecuencia del estrés, el apoyo de los amigos y de las asociaciones disminuye el esfuerzo relacionado con el estrés y el apoyo de la pareja aumenta la satisfacción vital de los progenitores. Respecto a los tipos de apoyo, el apoyo instrumental es el que más reduce la frecuencia del estrés de los progenitores, el apoyo informacional reduce el estrés relacionado con el esfuerzo que los padres deben realizar y es la satisfacción con el apoyo emocional la variable que mejor predice la satisfacción vital. Conclusión: El análisis multidimensional del apoyo social ha permitido analizar con mayor profundidad la complejidad de las relaciones de apoyo social que acontecen durante la enfermedad oncológica de los hijos. Del estudio se derivan importantes implicaciones prácticas.

Introduction: The aim of the present study is to carry out a multidimensional analysis of the relationship of social support with quality of life and the stress perceived by cancer patients. Methods: The participants were 200 patients with cancer. Data was gathered on sociodemographic characteristics, health, quality of life, social support and perceived stress. Results: Frequency of and satisfaction with different sources and types of support are related positively with improvement of quality of life and negatively with perceived stress. The emotional support from the partner and the emotional and informational support from the family are significant predictors of quality of life. Emotional support from the family reduces patients’ perceived stress. Satisfaction with emotional support from the partner and with the informational support from friends and family increases quality of life. Satisfaction with emotional support from the family and with informational support from friends decreases patients’ perceived stress. Instrumental support and support provided by health professionals are not good predictors of quality of life and perceived stress. Satisfaction with the support received is more significantly related with quality of life and stress than the frequency with which the sources provide support. Conclusions: These results have important practical implications to improve cancer patients’ quality of life and reduce their perceived stress through social support. Designing intervention strategies to improve satisfaction with the support provided to patients by their closest networks results in a global benefit for the patient’s quality of life.