Kaiser Permanente researchers examine the effects of friendship on the well-being and physical symptoms of patients with breast cancer
Results from a recent Kaiser Permanente study show that when a breast cancer patient’s life includes friends with whom they enjoy positive experiences, the patient’s quality of life, including physical symptoms, improves.
Study results, based on questionnaires completed by 3139 women recently diagnosed with breast cancer, revealed that women experienced both an increased overall quality of life and an improved emotional quality of life when surrounded by a supportive network of friends.
Furthermore, the quality of life of late-stage breast cancer patients was higher among those who received support related to meals, housework, errands, etc, compared with those patients who did not.
“This study provides research-based evidence that social support helps with physical symptoms,” said lead author Candyce H. Kroenke, ScD, MPH, staff scientist with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research.
The study is published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.
Source: Kaiser Permanente News Release.