THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PERCEIVED STRESS IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIMENSIONS OF SOCIAL SUPPORT AND SELF-CARE IN PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA

Research literature shows that social support is related to self-care in patients
with asthma, but the underlying mechanisms of this relationship need further research. This study was
conducted to investigate the mediating role of perceived stress in the relationship between social support
and self-care dimensions in patients with asthma.
Materials & Methods: The present study was descriptive and correlational. The statistical population of
the present study consisted of all patients with asthma in the specialized asthma clinic of Sayad Shirazi
Hospital in Gorgan. The sample consisted of 127 subjects who were selected by available sampling
method and answered the standard questionnaires of perceived stress by Cohen et al. (1983), social
support of Simat et al. (1988), and Persian self-harm (2006). Data were analyzed using Pearson
correlation and path analysis.
Results: The results showed the effect of social support on family (β = 0.11, p <0.01), the effect of social
support on friends (β = 0.09, p <0.01), and the effect of social support on others (08 Β = 0, p <0.01) are
significant with the mediating role of perceived stress on positive self-care.
Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that social support affects self-care through
perceived stress. Therefore, paying attention to interventions and training in stress management and
gaining social support can be a good way to increase self-care