Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Adolescent/young adult (AYA) cancer patients experience a variety of challenges, including higher rates of depressive symptoms (D) than healthy controls. Although various forms of social support (SS) seem to be a protective factor against D, AYAs also experience significant disruptions to SS. Snyder's hope theory involves two interrelated components: agency (the belief in one's ability to initiate or sustain action toward a desired goal) and pathways (the belief in one's ability to produce workable routes to desired goals). Because hope, particularly the agency component, has been linked to both SS and D, it may mediate the relationship between the two. METHODS: An online questionnaire was completed by AYA cancer patients (N = 205) in which they self-reported levels of perceived social support (PSS), hope, and D, among other scales and demographic variables. A parallel mediation model was conducted to determine if either or both agency and pathways explain the relationship between PSS and D. RESULTS: Agency mediated the relationship between PSS and D in AYA women with cancer, but not men. Pathways did not mediate the relationship between PSS and D. CONCLUSIONS: Given the significantly higher prevalence of depression in women with cancer as compared to men, interventions to enhance agency are an important adjunct to methods to promote PSS in AYA women with cancer.