The Association of Social Capital with Depression in Cancer Patients

Abstract

Social components play a role in promoting people's health, especially people with cancer, one of which is social capital. Therefore, this study was designed to determine the association of social capital with depression in patients with various types of cancer in the early stages of treatment. This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 170 patients with various cancers admitted to the oncology ward of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Sari. Data collection tools included demographic information questionnaires, the Beck depression questionnaire, and the Onyx and Bullen social capital questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as mean, frequency, and inferential statistics such as Pearson correlation coefficient, Chi-square, and t-test were used to analyze the data using SPSS software. The mean age of 170 patients participating in this study was 54.3 ±15.28 years, of which 93 (54.7%) were male, and the rest were female. The mean of depression in patients was 17.10 ±37.48, which is in the range of mild depression. The mean social capital of patients was 110.02 ±22.64, which indicates moderate social capital. According to the Pearson correlation coefficient test, there is a significant inverse association between social capital and depression (p=0.000 and r = -0.59). Regarding the results, it is suggested that the establishment of non-governmental organizations, associations, social organizations, and informal organizations increase cancer patients' social participation.