Posttraumatic Growth and Social Support in Turkish Patients with Cancer

Abstract

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is the experience of positive change that occurs as a result of the struggle withhighly challenging life crises. The need to understand PTG in relation to actual changes in an individual’s life hasrecently been raised. Little is known about the role of social support in the experience of positive outcomes. Thepurpose of this study is to investigate the role of perceived social support in enhancing PTG in cancer patients.This study involved 105 cancer patients. The data were collected using a questionnaire that determined thesocio-demographic features, posttraumatic growth inventory (PTGI) and perceived social support. Participantsreported relatively high levels of PTG and social support. Total perceived social support, support from family, andfriends were significantly positive associated with the development of PTG among cancer patients. Accordingly,the social surroundings of the patient should be informed about the importance of social support and how ithelps the patient; they should be made aware of necessity of social support.