Is the relationship between social support and depressive symptoms mediated by hope among Chinese central nervous system tumor patients?

BACKGROUND: It is common for central nervous system (CNS) tumor patients to suffer from depressive symptoms. If unrecognized or untreated, CNS tumors may lead to many serious problems in these patients. This study examines the association of social support with depressive symptoms in CNS tumor patients and explores the extent to which hope mediates this relationship.

METHODS: A total of 269 CNS tumor patients in China were included in this study. We assessed depressive symptoms using the Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), social support using the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), and hope using the Herth Hope Index (HHI). Questionnaires were distributed to collect these data. Hierarchical linear regression analyses explored the interrelationship between social support, hope, and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS: After adjustment for demographic characteristics, patients with less social support exhibited more depressive symptoms (β = - 0.452, P < 0.01). Social support explained 19.1% of the variance in depressive symptoms. After adding hope to the regression model, the effect size for social support was reduced by over half but remained significant (from β = - 0.452 to β = - 0.218, P < 0.01). In addition, a lower level of hope (β = - 0.386, P < 0.01) was associated with more depressive symptoms, and this measure explained an additional 9.3% of the variance in depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS: Much of the relationship between social support and depressive symptoms is explained by hope. Thus, interventions boosting both social support and hope help to reduce depressive symptoms in patients with CNS tumors.