The Correlation of Social Support and Fear of Breast Cancer among Women in Northeast of Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Hassan Joulaei, Mohammad Hossein Delshad, Fatemeh Pourhaji
PMID 37489226WHAT IT FOUND
Among 352 Iranian women over 40, higher perceived social support was weakly linked to lower fear of breast cancer.
Family support showed the strongest link, while support from significant others had no association. Income and occupation were key predictors of fear levels.
Key findings
01There was a weak negative correlation between total perceived social support and breast cancer fear scores.
02Family support was negatively associated with breast cancer fear, whereas support from significant others showed no significant correlation.
03Occupational status was the best predictor of breast cancer fear, while income was the best predictor of perceived social support.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot determine if social support reduces fear or if fear reduces perceived support. Participants were recruited via convenience sampling from a single city in Iran, limiting generalizability to other populations. The correlation between social support and fear was weak, explaining only a small portion of the variance in fear levels. Self-reported data may be subject to recall or social desirability bias.
Declared interests
The study was financially supported by Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The authors declared no other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that increasing general social support will significantly reduce breast cancer fear. The correlation was weak (r=-0.16), and support from 'significant others' showed no association with fear levels, suggesting that the specific source of support matters more than the amount.