Social Support and Fear of Cancer Recurrence Among Chinese Breast Cancer Survivors: The Mediation Role of Illness Uncertainty

ObjectiveTo examine the relations between social support, illness uncertainty (IU), and fear of cancer recurrence (FCR). MethodsUsing data from a convenience sample of 231 breast cancer survivors in China to perform structural equation modeling with bootstrapping estimation. Participants were recruited from a general hospital in Shenyang, China. Participants completed the Perceived Social Support Scale, Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale, and Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory- Shorter Form. ResultsThe majority of breast cancer survivors have FCR (67.5%). FCR was significantly negatively associated with social support, and was significantly positively associated with IU (both P < 0.01). Moreover, IU was found to mediate the relationship between social support and FCR (standardized indirect effect = -0.18; bias-corrected 95% confidence interval: -0.255, -0.123). ConclusionThe findings support the final model. Good social support can directly mitigate FCR, while illness uncertainty can play a mediation role between social support and FCR. Further studies should be conducted to explore effective interventions for social support and IU to ultimately mitigate FCR in cancer survivors.

Automated summary

This study examined the relationships between social support, illness uncertainty, and fear of cancer recurrence. The findings demonstrated that social support was negatively associated with fear of cancer recurrence, while illness uncertainty was positively associated with fear of cancer recurrence. Moreover, illness uncertainty was found to mediate the relationship between social support and fear of cancer recurrence.