Social Support and Life Satisfaction in Women With Cervical Cancer

Background: Although the number of studies focusing on life satisfaction in women with cervical cancer is increasing, there are limited studies on the pathway between social support and life satisfaction in this population. Objective: This study explored the pathway between social support and life satisfaction in women with cervical cancer by examining the serial mediating effects of self-care self-efficacy, coping strategies, and depressive symptoms. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 292 women with cervical cancer completed a questionnaire for assessing social support, self-efficacy, coping strategies, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction. Structural equation modeling was used to test the direct and/or indirect effects of the variables on life satisfaction. Results: Structural equation modeling analysis indicated that self-efficacy, coping strategies, and depressive symptoms mediates the effect of social support on life satisfaction. Direct paths from social support to life satisfaction, social support to self efficacy, self-efficacy to coping strategies, coping strategies to depressive symptoms, and depressive symptoms to life satisfaction were significant (P < .05). Moreover, indirect paths from social support to life satisfaction, self-efficacy to life satisfaction, and coping strategies to life satisfaction were also significant ( P < .05). Conclusions: Self-care self efficacy, coping strategies, and depressive symptoms are potential pathways through which social support may affect life satisfaction in women with cervical cancer. Implication: Healthcare providers, family, and friends should offer more social support to the patients and make efforts to strengthen their self-care self-efficacy, facilitate active coping, and alleviate depressive symptoms to improve women's life satisfaction.