Relationship between social support, self-esteem and sense of masculinity among geriatric Patients with Prostatic Cancer

Abstract

Background: Most geriatric patients with prostate cancer experience not only external discomfort but also negative psychological consequences such as reduced feelings of masculinity and diminished self–esteem. Social support is a protective factor for dealing with and adapting to these stressors, which enhances quality of life. Aim: To identify the relationship between social support, self-esteem, and sense of masculinity among geriatric patients with PC. Method: The study is a cross-sectional survey adopting a descriptive correlational design. A convenience sample of one hundred ten (110) geriatric patients diagnosed with PC attending the oncology and urology outpatient clinics of Damanhur Oncology Center in El-Beharia Governorate, Egypt. Four tools were used: subjects' basic information, The Personal Resources Questionnaire (PRQ-2000), the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSE), and The Masculine Self-esteem scale (MSES). Results: 74.6 % of the studied geriatric patients had high levels of social support, 86.4 % had moderate levels of self-esteem, and 55.4 % had low masculine self-esteem. Also, the relationship was a statistically significant between social support and self-esteem (p = .002), between social support and sense of masculinity (p = .038), and between self-esteem and sense of masculinity (p = .029).Conclusion: social Support and self-esteem were significant predictors of high sense of masculinity with social support positively influencing and self-esteem negatively influencing the sense of masculinity.