INVESTIGATION OF COPING STRATEGIES AND SOCIAL SUPPORT OF CANCER PATIENTS IN TIMES OF GLOBAL CRISIS

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the role of social support and coping strategies in moderating the psychological distress of cancer patients during high-stress health crises.Material and Method: From June 2022 to January 2023, we col-lected data from 206 cancer patients and 202 healthy controls at Florence Nightingale Hospital. Minimizing the immediate psychosocial impacts and aiming to investigate more chronic, longer-term psychological responses, during a 'return to nor-malcy' participants completed the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories, Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Questionnaire, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support.Result: Cancer patients reported higher levels of anxiety and depression than healthy controls (13.73 +/- 7.18 vs. 11.15 +/- 7.70, 12.94 +/- 5.39 vs. 9.98 +/- 6.93, p<0.001). Higher perceived social support, especially from family (b=-0.043; p=0.024 for anxiety, b=-0.028; p=0.044 for depression) and significant others (romantic or life partners) (b=-0.021; p=0.028 for anxiety), moderated the relationship between fear and mental health outcomes, reducing the severity of anxiety and depression symptoms. In contrast, the use of maladaptive coping strategies was found to amplify these outcomes (b=0.162; p<0.001 for anxiety, b=0.1307; p<0.001 for depression).Conclusion: Being the first study in the literature to investigate the buffering role of social support and coping mechanisms on fear, depression, and anxiety within a cancer patient cohort, itprovides valuable insights for practitioners. These findings are of practical relevance to clinicians aiming to improve mental health among cancer patients in times of global crises, emphasizing the importance of fostering social support and promoting adaptive coping strategies.