Assessment of psychosocial support in the family with cancer patient

Abstract

Oncology patients experience high levels of stress both physically and psychologically, which can cause a lack of personal psychological resources. Psychosocial help is able to compensate the lack and be the basis for the recovery of patients in the future. On the base of informed consent, 286 cancer patients examined: 174 women and 114 men. Patients examined at different stages of the treatment process, namely, 78 women and 51 men were examined at the first episode of the disease, and 96 women and 63 men were examined after return of the disease or its relapse. Methods FACES-3, MSPSS were used in the study. It was shown, that in general women evaluated their own psychosocial resource more positively than men. The main source of support for patients, especially women, was family in comparison to significant others and friends. Families with a sufficient level of family adaptability characterized by high levels of psychosocial support, whereas impaired family functioning resulted in reduced external resources. Psychosocial help is an important component of complex psychological help for patients with cancer. The development of medical-psychological help measures should take into account the actual level of psychosocial support in patient and his / her perception by the participants of the treatment.