The effect of perceived social support on posttraumatic stress disorder in women diagnosed with gynecological oncology

Gynecological cancers have been identified as an important issue in terms of women's health due to the high morbidity and mortality rates in women. Gynecological cancers are considered a deadly disease by women. At the same time, female reproductive organs are accepted as a symbol of sexuality, productivity and motherhood, and the sudden disappearance of these organs negatively affects the body image of women and lowers their self-esteem. When the international and national literature is examined, it is seen that there are many studies on the relationship between emotional problems and social support in women diagnosed with gynecological oncology, but there are limited studies on posttraumatic stress disorder. Based on this argument, this study was planned as a descriptive study to determine the effect of perceived social support on posttraumatic stress disorder in women diagnosed with gynecological oncology. The research consists of 277 women who have been diagnosed with cancer one year after obtaining written permission in Ankara City Hospital Gynecology Oncology unit. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews with Personal Information Form (PDF), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale (PSDI) consisting of 23 questions created by the researcher. Statistical descriptive criteria (mean, median, standard deviation, percent) were used to evaluate the research results. Mann Whitney U test was used to determine the difference between two independent groups, Kruskal Wallis test for more than two independent groups, Spearman correlation coefficient analysis was used in case of two continuous variables. The average age of the women included in the study is 55.94 years. (SS:10.768, min:28, max:91.). It was determined that there was a significant difference in post-traumatic stress disorder among women with different numbers of children (p<0.05). It was found that there was no significant difference in posttraumatic stress disorder among women with different education levels (p>0.05). It was determined that there was a 30.9 percent negative and significant relationship between the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale (PSDI) score and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) score. (p<0.001). Social support has been found to positively affect posttraumatic stress disorder.