Correlations of social isolation and anxiety and depression symptoms among patients with breast cancer of Heilongjiang province in China: The mediating role of social support.
Bingshuo Liu, Xinyu Wu, Lei Shi and 6 others
PMID 33939294WHAT IT FOUND
In breast cancer patients, higher social isolation was linked to higher anxiety and depression scores, while higher social support was linked to lower scores.
The study cannot show that support improves symptoms.
Key findings
01The paper reported prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms as 70.44% and 73.26%, respectively.
02Anxiety and depression scores were positively correlated with social isolation (r = .369 and r = .466) and negatively correlated with social support (r = -.334 and r = -.289).
03The authors reported that social support mediated the association between social isolation and anxiety, and between social isolation and depression.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
It was a cross-sectional survey, so it cannot show that social isolation causes anxiety or depression, or that social support reduces symptoms. Patients reported symptoms for the preceding month, so recall bias may affect the anxiety and depression scores. The sample came from one tertiary hospital in Heilongjiang province, so it may not apply to patients elsewhere. Of 456 questionnaires distributed and recovered, 389 were valid, so some responses were missing or invalid. Social isolation was measured with a self-made scale, not a fully established instrument.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that nurses or families can reduce anxiety and depression by increasing social support. The study is cross-sectional and only reports associations, so it cannot prove that support changes symptoms.