Peer Support Program in Cancer Patients Elkar Laguntza

In cancer patients, social support provided by partners, family and/or friends plays a key role in coping with the disease and reducing treatment-related distress. However, research indicates that some of the needs of patients, such as coping with the disease, reducing isolation or managing guilt, often go unmet. With the aim of trying to meet these types of needs of people with cancer, the present research will evaluate the effectiveness of a peer support program in cancer patients, based on the support provided or exchanged by people who have faced similar challenges or problems. The intervention will consist of 8 face-to-face sessions of social peer support, involving a cancer patient and a volunteer who is in a stable phase and who has undergone the same diagnosis and medical treatment. To evaluate the effectiveness of the social support program, the immediate and long-term effect of participation in the program on both psychological (anxious-depressive symptoms, quality of life, perception of the disease, coping strategies, perception of social support,...) and biological (endocrine and immune system) variables will be analyzed.