Student name: Elena García Alonso

RUN-EU institution: University of Burgos, Spain

Abstract

Cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, significantly affecting patients’ Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). Despite advances in treatment, cancer and its therapies impose substantial physical and psychological burdens. Emotional support plays a key role in psychological adjustment, serving as a resource for emotional regulation and overall well-being. This study examines the associations between active seeking emotional support (ASE) and received emotional support (RES) with coping strategies, HRQoL, and psychological adjustment in cancer patients.

A correlational study was conducted with 360 cancer patients treated at Burgos Hospital (54.2% women; mean age=63.41 years, SD=11.08). Emotional support was assessed using the Emotional Support subscale of the Brief COPE, HRQoL with the EORTC QLQ-C30, anxiety and depression with the HADS, and psychological adjustment with the Mini-MAC. Spearman correlations were used due to non-normal data distribution (Kolmogorov-Smirnov ≥ 0.050).

Results showed that ASE negatively correlated with social (ρ=-0.204**), role (ρ=-0.179**), emotional (ρ=-0.145**) and physical (ρ=-0.129*) functioning, and positively with anxiety (ρ=0.148**) and emotional distress (ρ=0.120*), fatigue (ρ=0.113*) and insomnia (ρ=0.108*). In contrast, RES positively correlated with HRQoL (ρ=0.147**) and global health status (ρ=0.138**), and negatively with depression (ρ=-0.229**), emotional distress (ρ=-0.200*), anxiety (ρ=-0.132*) and role functioning (ρ=-0.123*). Also, ASE was associated positively with seeking informational support (ρ=0.446**), self-distraction (ρ=0.269**), active coping (ρ=0.227**), venting (ρ=0.131*) and positive reframing (ρ=0.112*) and with fighting spirit (ρ=0.198**) and anxious preoccupation (ρ=0.140**). RES was associated with adaptive coping strategies, including active coping (ρ=0.489**), informational support (ρ=0.303**), acceptance (ρ=0.322**), positive reframing (ρ=0.310**) and humor (ρ=0.249**), while inversely related to self-blame (ρ=-0.223**), denial (ρ=-0.208**), and disconnection (ρ=-0.197**). Additionally, RES was positively linked with fighting spirit (ρ=0.476**) and negatively with hopelessness (ρ=-0.277**) and anxious preoccupation(ρ=-0.198**).

These findings underscore the relevance of emotional support in fostering adaptive coping and psychological adjustment, as well as promoting autonomy and HRQoL in cancer patients.