Association of social support, spirituality with psychological factors in Iranian breast cancer survivors: An evidence from a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this study was to explore the protective role of social support and spirituality in the prevention of depression, anxiety and fatigue severity. Design: In a cross-sectional study, 305 women of breast cancer survivors were recruited in the study. Methods: The participants answered a self-reported the hospital anxiety and depression scale, fatigue severity scale (FSS), social support and spiritual health questionnaires. The data were analysed using a multiple linear regression model to estimate the adjusted regression coefficients. Results: A greater proportion of patients had moderate depression (62.9%) and moderate anxiety (67.3%). The higher level of social support was significantly associated with a lesser degree of depression (β=−0.05, p =.001) and anxiety (β=−0.04, p =.001), but there had been no association with the severity of fatigue score, while the association of spiritual health with depression and anxiety was not independently significant. This study highlights the importance of perceived social support in the prevention of depression and anxiety.