| Abstrakt: |
Abstract: This study reviews existing research devoted to the topic of social support in childhood cancer survivors, the structure of their social network and its influence to selected characteristics of childhood cancer patients and survivors according to the source of support. Parents, siblings, friends, medical staff, classmates and teachers are analyzed as support sources. Positive as well as negative social support outcomes are reported. Among the positive outcomes, lower levels of anxiety, loneliness and pain, quality of life improvements and strenghtening of coping strategies can be named. Negative outcomes can be represented for example by excessive paren tal care, lack of privacy and feeling of being left out after the end of treatment. The limits of existing research are discussed, too. |
