Examining the perceived social support and psychological symptoms among adolescents with leukemia

Abstract Purpose The purpose was to determine the perceived social support and psychological symptoms of adolescents with leukemia. Design and Methods The sample consisted of 70 adolescents with leukemia. The B rief S ymptom I nventory (BSI), M ultidimensional P erceived S ocial S upport S cale (MPSSS), and a demographical data form were used for data collection. Results Scores of the G lobal S everity I ndex, P ositive S ymptom D istress I ndex (PSDI), and P ositive S ymptom T otal (PST) of the BSI were higher than those of the healthy adolescents with the same age in other studies. There was a negative relationship between the MPSSS and negative self‐image, depression, anxiety, PSDI , and PST of the BSI . Practice Implications It would likely be beneficial to increase adolescents' perceived social support in order to decrease psychological symptoms.