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The contribution of attachment security and social support to depressive symptoms in patients with metastatic cancer
Author(s) -
Rodin Gary,
Walsh Andrew,
Zimmermann Camilla,
Gagliese Lucia,
Jones Jennifer,
Shepherd Frances A.,
Moore Malcolm,
Braun Michal,
Donner Allan,
Mikulincer Mario
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
psycho‐oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.41
H-Index - 137
eISSN - 1099-1611
pISSN - 1057-9249
DOI - 10.1002/pon.1186
Subject(s) - mediation , depressive symptoms , social support , disease , cancer , clinical psychology , anxiety , insecure attachment , depression (economics) , psychology , medicine , psychiatry , attachment theory , psychotherapist , political science , law , economics , macroeconomics
The present study examines the association between disease‐related factors, perceived social support, attachment security (i.e. attachment anxiety and avoidance), and the occurrence of depressive symptoms in a sample of patients with metastatic gastrointestinal or lung cancer. Results from a sample of 326 cancer outpatients with advanced disease indicate that disease‐related factors are significantly associated with the occurrence of depressive symptoms, and the latter are inversely related to the degree of attachment anxiety and avoidance, and perceived social support. Attachment security (on the dimension of anxious attachment) significantly buffered the effect of disease‐related factors on depressive symptoms, and perceived social support mediated the relationship between attachment security and depressive symptoms. The buffering effect of attachment security on depressive symptoms and its partial mediation through social support suggest that the interaction of individual, social, and disease‐related factors contribute to the emergence of depressive symptoms in patients with metastatic cancer. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.