Perceived Stress as a Mediator Between Social Support and Posttraumatic Growth Among Chinese American Breast Cancer Survivors.
Nelson C Y Yeung, Qian Lu
PMID 27442209WHAT IT FOUND
More received social support was linked to lower perceived stress and greater positive change after cancer in Chinese American breast cancer survivors.
Lower stress partly explained the link, but this survey cannot show that support causes growth.
Key findings
01Survivors with higher social support scores had lower perceived stress scores and higher posttraumatic growth scores.
02Higher perceived stress was linked to lower posttraumatic growth.
03The model showed a direct link from social support to growth and a small indirect link through lower stress.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study measured social support, stress, and growth at one time, so it cannot show cause or direction. Participants were a non-random, self-selected sample from Southern California, so the findings may not apply to all Chinese American breast cancer survivors. The scales were not fully validated in this population, and one posttraumatic growth subscale had a reliability score of 0.68, below the conventional 0.70 standard. The model explained 26% of the variance in posttraumatic growth, so other factors likely matter. The study did not track how social support, perceived stress, and posttraumatic growth change over time after diagnosis.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that giving a patient more social support will lower stress or cause posttraumatic growth. The study was a cross-sectional survey, so it can only show associations at one time.