THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT, UNCERTAINTY, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS OF MALE AND FEMALE ADOLESCENTS RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER.
Contributors: New York University.
Published: 1993
Number of pages: 165
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: Uncertainty in illness about diagnosis, symptoms, prognosis, treatments, and relationships with health professionals is a major psychosocial stressor for adolescents recently diagnosed with cancer. In this study, the theoretical linkages of the uncertainty in illness theory (Mishel, 1988a) of perceived social support, uncertainty, and psychological distress were tested.

Respondents consisted of 60 male and female adolescents between the ages of 14 and 22 who were recently diagnosed with a malignancy within the past 100 days and receiving outpatient treatment. Data was generated by three questionnaires and a brief interview and analyzed using Pearson product moment coefficients and multiple regression analyses.

Hypotheses tested: (1) There will be a inverse relationship between perceived social support and uncertainty in adolescents recently diagnosed with cancer; (2) There will be a positive relationship between uncertainty and psychological distress in adolescents recently diagnosed with cancer; (3) There will be an inverse relationship between perceived social support and psychological distress in adolescents recently diagnosed with cancer; and (4) There will be an inverse relationship between perceived social support and psychological distress when controlling for uncertainty in adolescents recently diagnosed with cancer. Research questions were: (1) Is there a difference in psychological distress between male and female adolescents recently diagnosed with cancer? and (2) Is there a difference in perceived social support between male and female adolescents recently diagnosed with cancer?.

Findings were as follows: The first three hypotheses were supported; there was no inverse relationship between perceived social support and psychological distress when controlling for uncertainty. An interaction effect of perceived social support and uncertainty explained 39% of the variance in psychological distress.

There were no differences in psychological distress between male and females. Females perceived significantly greater perceived social support than males. Scores on the BSI reflect higher (although not significantly higher) scores reported in a healthy population than from ill adolescents in this study. Additional findings included family members, especially mothers' as the most helpful and supportive to adolescents since their illness, and friends generally being supportive.

Based on the results of the study, implications were discussed and recommendations for further research were suggested.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-08, Section: B, page: 4083.

Thesis (PH.D.)--NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, 1993.

School code: 0146.