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Does social support at home moderate the association between social support at work and work functioning among cancer patients?

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Abstract

Purpose

The aims of this study were to examine (1) the longitudinal associations of supervisor and colleague social support with work functioning in cancer patients who have returned to work and (2) the moderating role of social support at home.

Methods

Data from the longitudinal Work Life after Cancer study were used (n = 384). Work functioning (low versus moderate to high work functioning) was measured with the validated Work Role Functioning Questionnaire 2.0. Social support at work was measured from both supervisor and colleagues with the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire. Social support at home was measured with the Social Support List-Discrepancies. Logistic generalized estimating equations were used to analyse associations between supervisor and colleague social support and work functioning, and to examine the possible moderating effect of social support at home.

Results

More supervisor (OR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.32) and colleague (1.13; 1.03, 1.24) social support were significantly associated with moderate to high work functioning. The association between colleague social support and work functioning was attenuated for those who did not experience enough social support at home but remained almost significant for supervisor social support (1.17; 1.00, 1.37).

Conclusions

Supervisor social support is associated with better work functioning regardless of social support at home, while colleague social support is only associated with better work functioning when cancer patients experience enough social support at home.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

Occupational physicians may play a key role in creating awareness that social support at work and at home are beneficial for cancer patients’ work functioning.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. H.F. Dorland and Dr. R.E. Stewart, both at the Department of Health Sciences, Community and Occupational Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, for setting up and collecting WOLICA data and for statistical support, respectively.

Funding

The Work Life after Cancer (WOLICA) study was funded by the Dutch Cancer Society (Koningin Wilhelmina Fonds voor de Nederlandse Kankerbestrijding, KWF), project number RUG 2011–5266.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Sciences, Community and Occupational Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Manon M. T. Schallig, Ute Bültmann & Sander K. R. van Zon

  2. Department of Health Sciences, Healthy Psychology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Adelita V. Ranchor

Authors
  1. Manon M. T. Schallig
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  2. Ute Bültmann
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Correspondence to Sander K. R. van Zon.

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Appendices

Appendix 1

Table 3 Associations between supervisor social support and work functioning over time
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Appendix 2

Table 4 Associations between colleague social support and work functioning
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Appendix 3

Table 5 Work specific factors per cancer type
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Appendix 4

Table 6 Associations between supervisor social support and colleague social support and work functioning over time; complete case analyses (model 3)
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Schallig, M.M.T., Bültmann, U., Ranchor, A.V. et al. Does social support at home moderate the association between social support at work and work functioning among cancer patients?. J Cancer Surviv 17, 871–883 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-021-01132-5

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