Published date: May 17 2018

Journal Title: KnE Life Sciences

Issue title: The 2nd International Meeting of Public Health 2016 (IMOPH) – Part I

Pages: 232–240

DOI: 10.18502/kls.v4i4.2282

Z Nurasyikinnurasyikinzeq@gmail.com

M M Ihsani

Zakariahazli .

S Z Syed Zulkifli

M Nahar Azmi

I Fuad

M Rohaizak

A Talibruzita

M I Zaleha

The emotional distress and psychosocial factors are links to the worst quality of life among cancer patients as well as survivors. It gives a negative impact on the survivors and their families. The objective of the study was to determine the correlation of depression, anxiety, and stress with perceived social support among breast cancer
survivors. This is a baseline finding of an educational intervention study. A total of 131 female breast cancer survivors were recruited while they went for their appointment at the Oncology clinic in one of the Tertiary Hospital in Kuala Lumpur. Baseline data was collected using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress (DASS) and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) questionnaires. Descriptive analysis and
correlation tests were used to determine the strength of a linear relationship between depression, anxiety and stress with perceived social support. The descriptive analysis showed that breast cancer survivors had a higher prevalence of anxiety (30.5%) as compared to depression (14.5%) and stress (12.2%). Perceived social support was higher among family support (96.2%) as compared to significant others (84.7%) and friends (71.8%). There was a fair negative correlation between: (i) depression and family support (r = -0.372, p < 0.001), and (ii) stress and family support (r = -0.342, p < 0.001). Other domains had a poor correlation (r < 0.030). The finding shows
that social support from the family and significant others have a significant but fair inverse association with the emotional aspect (depression and stress) of breast cancer survivors.

Keywords: Correlation, DASS, MSPSS, breast cancer, Malaysia.

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