Social support and quality of life of patients prior to stem cell or bone marrow transplantation

OBJECTIVES: To determine the positive and detrimental aspects of social support prior to allogeneic or autologous bone marrow transplantation/stem cell transplantation. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. METHODS: Patients completed the German version of the Illness-specific Social Support Scale (ISSS) and the Quality of Life (QoL) Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30). RESULTS: Participants were 282 patients (62% autologous SCT, 39% women, 97% haematological malignancies, 72% with partner). We found satisfactory reliability values for both ISSS scales: positive support (Cronbach's alpha=.91) and problematic support (=.73). Patients living with a partner displayed higher scores in positive interaction than patients living alone (p<.001). Analysis showed a significant main effect of partnership, p<.001; F(1)=8.345, and better scores for women, p<1; F(1)=2.758. Furthermore, we determined a negative correlation between problematic interaction and emotional/social function (p<.001) and a positive correlation with insomnia, but no correlation between positive interaction, QLQ-C30, and Karnofsky's index. CONCLUSIONS: We could distinguish between helpful and harmful support, and determine clinically important associations of problematic support. Partnership seems to be a major source of positive interaction.