Analysis of the effect of a pilot peer support intervention on breast cancer patients’ coping strategies

Abstract

In cancer patients, peer support programs have emerged in recent years with the aim of meeting the social support needs not covered by the patients' close environment. This research project is framed within a longitudinal clinical trial and aimed to analyse the impact of a peer support program on coping strategies in breast cancer patients from the Onkologikoa Foundation of Gipuzkoa, based on the support provided by people who have faced similar challenges or problems. The intervention consisted of 6 or 8 sessions of social support involving a patient and a volunteer. The results show that women in the intervention group used adaptive coping strategies such as humor to a greater extent and non-adaptive coping strategies such as denial to a lesser extent. In addition, a lower use of humor was observed among those participants in the control group who received chemotherapy compared to those who did not. These results suggest that peer support programs can help reduce the negative impact of harmful experiences on the health of breast cancer patients, specifically by promoting adaptive coping strategies and reducing non-adaptive ones.