Association between social support and quality of life in patients with affective disorders

The quality of life and its inter-relationship with posttraumatic stress disorder and social support in two post-conflict communities in Nigeria

The study aimed to compare the quality of life (QoL) in two communities with different exposures to conflict and investigate the inter-relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social support, and QoL. This is a cross-sectional with 413 participants. Study instruments included the PTSD module of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), the World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF (WHOQoL-BREF), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The family domain of social support was protective of both PTSD and QoL. Except for the relationship between community's location and the physical subscale of the QoL, a hierarchical regression analysis showed that all the independent variables were significantly associated with the QoL domains. Direct exposure to crises impaired QoL more than areas indirectly exposed. PTSD and the family domain of social support play a significant role in the QoL outcome. This suggests that therapeutic intervention to improve QoL should target these key variables.

Psychosocial factors influencing quality of life in patients with primary brain tumors in Pakistan: an analytical cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

Despite quality of life (QoL) being recognized as an important outcome in neuro-oncology, there is a lack of research from Pakistan where sociocultural differences may influence QoL. This study aimed to measure the QoL in patients with primary brain tumors (PBTs) and assess its association with mental health outcomes and social support.

RESULTS

Our study included a total of 250 patients, with a median age of 42 years (range 33-54 years). The commonest brain tumors were glioma (46.8%) and meningioma (21.2). The mean global QoL of the sample was 75.73 ± 14.9. The majority of patients had high social support (97.6%) and were not depressed (90%) or anxious (91.6%). On multivariable linear regression, global QoL was inversely associated with no or low income (beta coefficients: -8.75 to -11.84), having hypertension (-5.53), currently using a urine catheter (-13.55), having low social support (-28.16) suffering from mild (-15.31) or symptomatic (-23.84) depression, or mild anxiety (-13.22).

Subjective quality of life factorial structure across mental disorders: should we switch to assessing dimensions?

A two-factor structure of subjective quality of life (SQoL) was established for patients with schizophrenia with the dimensions being 'Life and Health' and 'Living Environment'. This study investigated whether the same structure applies in patients with mood and anxiety disorders and, if so, whether the dimension scores differ between the three diagnostic groups. SQoL data of 1366 patients with mood and 419 patients with anxiety disorders obtained on the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA) were retrieved from 3 multisite studies. We performed Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFAs) based on the MANSA SQoL items of each diagnostic sample. Next, through a series of Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests, we compared the scores of the two factors across patients with mood disorders, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. The two CFAs showed adequate fit of the two-factor structure across mood and anxiety disorders. The dimension scores on 'Life and Health' differed significantly between all three diagnostic groups. They were lowest in patients with anxiety disorders, higher in patients with mood disorders and highest in patients with schizophrenia. However, on the 'Living Environment' dimension, patients with mood disorders had significantly higher scores than patients with schizophrenia, whilst patients with anxiety disorders did not differ significantly from either other group. The findings suggest that a two-factor structure of SQoL applies across mental disorders. The two dimensions vary across diagnostic groups in different ways. Assessing two dimensions of SQoL may provide more specific and relevant information than global scores.

Effects of Stigma on the Relationship Between Perceived Social Support and Sexual Satisfaction Among Breast Cancer Survivors

BACKGROUND

Sexual satisfaction is one of the issues faced by breast cancer survivors (BCSs).

AIM

This study aims to explore the mediation of stigma in the relationship between perceived social support (PSS) and sexual satisfaction among breast cancer survivors.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 918 BCSs in Shanghai Cancer Rehabilitation Club. Data were collected using an online questionnaire including questions on sociodemographic characteristics, health status, PSS, stigma and sexual satisfaction of participants. The bootstrap method was used to test the significance of the simple mediation model.

OUTCOMES

The simple mediation of stigma was found significant in the relationship between PSS and sexual satisfaction.

RESULTS

Stigma plays an intermediary role in the relationship between 2 dimensions of PSS (family and friends) and sexual satisfaction, but not in the relationship between the dimension of other significant people of PSS and sexual satisfaction.

CLINICAL TRANSLATION

It is important to reduce stigma when improving the sexual satisfaction of BCSs from the perspective of PSS.

STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS

The mediating role of stigma in the relationship between PSS and sexual satisfaction among BCSs has been shown for the first time. Study limitations include limitations in the representativeness of population by the study sample and the cross-sectional study design.

CONCLUSIONS

Stigma mediates the relationship between PSS and sexual satisfaction, which needs to be eliminated in intervention practice. Yuxin Zhang, Jie Zhao, Nan Jiang, et al. Effects of Stigma on the Relationship Between Perceived Social Support and Sexual Satisfaction Among Breast Cancer Survivors. J Sex Med 2022;19:1002-1011.

The moderating role of social support for marital adjustment, depression, anxiety, and stress: Evidence from Pakistani working and nonworking women

BACKGROUND

This study examined how social support moderates the prolongation of mental distress related to depression, anxiety, stress, and marital adjustment in working and nonworking women. The study aimed to reveal the relationship between social support and mental health issues associated with depression, anxiety, stress, and marital adjustment among females.

METHODS

This research study is among the few studies performed in a Pakistani context and was conducted in 2017 to measure affective disorders among nonworking and working married females. Questionnaires were distributed among 500 targeted women, and valid responses were received from married working women in hospitals, banks, and multinational companies, and married nonworking women from residential areas of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. A cross-sectional design with purposive sampling was adapted for this research, and three scales were used to measure stress, anxiety, depression, social support, and marital adjustment and its social and cultural implications among the sampled population.

RESULTS

Social support was positively and significantly associated with marital adjustment, although it showed a negative association with anxiety, depression, and stress in working and nonworking women; this finding reflects the better mental health of the study population. The findings proved that marital adjustment has a negative relation with depression and anxiety in married working and nonworking females. Social support acts as a moderator for marital cohesion, affection, stress, and depression, and the results reflected that nonworking women with higher marital cohesion and affection showed less stress and depression because of social support.

LIMITATIONS

The findings of this sample cannot be generalized to the whole population as they are specific to the targeted respondents only.

CONCLUSION

The study revealed that women's mental health is affected by psychological distress caused by depression, anxiety, stress, social and cultural norms, and their implications. Lower stress and depression lead to better mental health as ostensive social support may help to explain the relationship between depression, anxiety, and stress.