Social Support and Self-Coping of Depressed African-American Cancer Patients.

Abstract

This study examined the differences among 57 depressed and nondepressed African-American cancer patients and their use of social support and self-coping resources. In-depth interviews were used to elicit narrative responses and Fisher's exact test was used to compare the 2 groups. The depressed patients, as determined by 3 depression scales, more frequently reported having no supportive family, lacking a support system, having sedentary hobbies, or using alcohol or drugs as coping strategies compared to the nondepressed patients. To better detect and treat depression, health-care providers must carefully evaluate the social support and coping resource needs in this vulnerable population.