Abstract
Objectives
Meaning in life is a critical component of psychological well-being among cancer patients. Prior research suggests that social support may enhance meaning in life through the promotion of posttraumatic growth. This study aimed to examine whether posttraumatic growth mediates the relationship between peer support (considering receiving and giving) and meaning in life in Chinese patients with breast cancer.
Methods
A total of 388 breast cancer patients completed measures assessing receiving and giving peer support, posttraumatic growth, and meaning in life. Peer support were categorized into three groups based on whether they had received and/or given support: (1) no involvement (neither received nor gave support), (2) partial involvement (either received or gave support), and (3) reciprocal involvement (both received and gave support). Mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS macro (Model 4; Hayes, 2022) with 5,000 bootstrap samples to test the indirect effect.
Results
The frequencies (percentages) of no involvement, partial involvement, and reciprocal involvement were 73 (18.8%), 57 (14.7%), and 258 (66.5%), respectively. The results of mediation analysis shows that peer support significantly predicted posttraumatic growth (b = 1.63, p = .012). Posttraumatic growth, in turn, significantly predicted meaning in life (b = 0.41, p < .001). The direct effect of peer support on meaning in life was not significant (b = 0.83, p = .160), but the indirect effect through posttraumatic growth was significant (indirect effect = 0.67, 95% CI [0.10, 1.32]).
Conclusion and clinical implications
Over half of the participants involved in peer support. Posttraumatic growth mediates the relationship between receiving/giving peer support and meaning in life in patients with breast cancer. The findings underscore the role of both receiving and giving peer support in fostering psychological growth and enhancing life meaning after diagnosis of breast cancer.