Effects of Social Support, Family Resilience, and Individual Resilience on Fear of Cancer Recurrence Among Persons With Breast Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: There is limited research exploring the psychological and social predictors of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR). Objective: This study tested the effects of social support, family resilience, and individual resilience on FCR among persons with breast cancer. Methods: A convenience sampling method was used to select 214 participants from March to August 2021 in 1 tertiary hospital in Jinan, China. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Path analysis was adopted to explore the effects of social support, family resilience, and individual resilience on FCR. Results: Findings showed that 94.6% of the participants reached a clinical level of FCR. Social support (beta = -.75, p <.01) and individual resilience (beta = -.32, p <.01) negatively and directly impacted FCR. Family resilience indirectly impacted FCR through individual resilience (beta = -.22, 95% confidence interval (CI): -.34 to -.08). Social support indirectly impacted FCR through family resilience and individual resilience (beta = -.15, 95% CI: -.23 to -.06). Conclusions: Persons with breast cancer experienced a high level of FCR. Individual resilience was a mediator between family resilience and FCR. Resilience (individual resilience and family resilience) partially mediated the effects of social support on FCR. The findings indicate that measures focused on improving individual resilience, family resilience, and social support should be considered by nurses, which are helpful for easing FCR.