Quality of Life in Cancer Patients: The Role of Optimism, Hopelessness, and Partner Support

Overview

Journal Qual Life Res

Specialties Pharmacology
Rehabilitation Medicine

Date 2006 Nov 17

PMID 17109191

Citations 16

Authors

Mila Gustavsson-Lilius

Juhani Julkunen

Paivi Hietanen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The interaction of optimism, hopelessness and social support as predictors of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) among seriously ill people is not well understood. Also, the impact of partner characteristics on patient quality of life has often been overlooked. In this study the relationships between optimism, hopelessness, partner support and HRQL were investigated in 155 cancer patients and their partners. Special attention was given to the effects of optimism and hopelessness as mediators and moderators in the partner support-HRQL relationship. The impact of partner optimism and hopelessness on perceived partner support and patient HRQL was also studied. The results indicated substantial gender differences in the relationships between the study variables. High levels of partner support were associated with female patients' optimistic appraisals, and together they predicted better HRQL at 8 months follow-up. Partial support was found for the effect of optimism as a mediator. For male patients, low hopelessness was the key variable predicting good HRQL. Clear evidence for the moderator effects of optimism/hopelessness was not found, and the expected impact of partner's characteristics on partner support or patient HRQL could not be confirmed. Although partner support, patient optimism and hopelessness all appeared to be important determinants of HRQL in cancer patients, the relationships between these variables differed by gender. The proposed mediation and moderation models needs to be confirmed in future studies.

Citing Articles

Association of optimism and social support with health-related quality of life among Australian women cancer survivors - A cohort study.

Rahman M, David M, Steinberg J, Cust A, Yu X, Rutherford C Asia Pac J Clin Oncol. 2024; 21(2):221-231.

PMID: 38771455 PMC: 11880961. DOI: 10.1111/ajco.14079.

Financial Toxicity and Its Association With Health-Related Quality of Life Among Partners of Colorectal Cancer Survivors.

Ghazal L, Abrahamse P, Ward K, Morris A, Hawley S, Veenstra C JAMA Netw Open. 2023; 6(4):e235897.

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How is the problematic smartphone use affected by social support? A research model supported by the mediation of Ikigai.

Simsek O, Kaya A, Cevik O, Kocak O Curr Psychol. 2023; :1-16.

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Validation and psychometric properties of the multidimensional scale of perceived social support among Korean breast cancer survivors.

Kim M, Yeom H, Jung M Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs. 2022; 9(4):229-235.

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PMID: 35140650 PMC: 8818779. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.757496.

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