Influencia del optimismo y la percepción de apoyo social del personal sanitario sobre la calidad de vida de los enfermos de cáncer

Objective: The present study aims to analyze the relationship of social support provided by health personnel and the patient’s optimism with quality of life and stress perceived by cancer patients. Method: Data regarding sociodemographic characteristics, health, optimism, social support, quality of life and perceived stress are collected from 200 cancer patients with a mean age of 50.5 years (SD = 13.05). 73.5% are women and 26.5% are men. Results: Satisfaction with the support received from health personnel (emotional, instrumental and informational) and optimism are related to a higher quality of life and less perceived stress. Predictive models indicate that satisfaction with instrumental support is the one that most reduces the stress of patients. Regarding quality of life, predictive models indicate that informational support is the one that most increases the global health status, emotional and instrumental supports that improve functioning, and instrumental support is the one that most reduces patients’ symptoms. Gender differences have also been found, women perceive significantly more stress and worse quality of life than men. Conclusion: Health personnel are a useful source of support for people with cancer and optimism improves the quality of life for cancer patients. This study highlights important practical implications.