Examinng the relationship between quality of life and perceived socialsupport in breast cancer patients in Iraq

Introduction:. Social support is a crucial factor that could improve breast cancer patients' quality of life . Aim: The aim of our study is to examine the relationship between the quality of life and perceived social support of patients diagnosed with breast cancer in Iraq. Methoods: The study is relational and descriptive. study was used to guide this study which was conducted at the Al-Zahraa Teaching Hospital and Alkarama Teaching Hospital in Kut, Iraq. The study included a sample of 150 patients with breast cancer. The sample size was determined based on the criteria of a significance level of 0.05. The data were collected from December 10th, 2021 to March st, 2022. Three forms were used to collect the data; sociodemographic and clinical characteristics form, multidimensional perceived social support scale, and European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyze the data. Results: participants age means 39.27 ± 14.7. were married 79.3%. are high school graduates 26.7%. As per the work status, that they are officers 28.0%. family's monthly income is less than their expenses 64.7%. Most reported that they have children 70.7%. the majority reported that they live in urban areas 56.6%. That they have first-degree relatives who have breast cancer 44.7%. The mean score of social support from significant others was 16.71 ± 4.40, family 18.39 ± 3.29, friends 15.36 ± iv 5.72, and overall perceived social support 50.47 ± 8.12. Sub- dimension mean scores of the quality of life scale; general quality of life was 74.42 ± 8.69, role functioning was 25.46 ± 11.66, emotional functioning 10.58 ± 2.66, cognitive functioning 5.36 ± 1.36, social functioning 5.26 ± 1.39, global health status 6.42 ± 2.11, dyspnea 2.25 ± 0.91, insomnia 2.52 ± 1.00, appetite 2.44 ± 1.03, nausea and vomiting 4.58 ± 1.49, constipation 2.31 ± 1.02, diarrhea 2.43 ± 0.92, fatigue 7.29 ± 1.68, pain 4.90 ± 1.45, overall symptoms 28.73 ± 4.72. When the quality of life was compared with social support. that there is a moderate positive correlation between the global health status sub- dimension of the quality of life scale and Significant Other sub- dimension of the perceived social support scale (r = 0.638, p < 0.05). In addition to a moderate positive correlation between the global health status sub- dimension of the quality of life scale and perceived social support scale (r=0.451, p < 0.05), as well as a weak positive correlation between the overall quality of life scale and Significant Other subdimension of the perceived social support scale (r=0.269, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Breast cancer patients in Iraq have a moderate quality of life. It was determined that the majority of the patients had average social support and the most social support source came from the family. It scored higher on "symptoms" among other dimensions of patients' quality of life. Overall quality of life is significantly associated with social support in patients with breast cancer. 2022, 50 pages Keywords: Breast Cancer, Quality of Life, Social Support, Iraq.