Relationship between Coping Self-Efficacy and Perceived Social Support with Psychological Well-being among Cancer Patients: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Context: Cancer profoundly affects patients’ psychological well-being, disrupting emotional stability, social roles, and sense of self. Understanding the psychosocial factors that influence psychological well-being is essential for developing effective supportive care interventions.

Aim: This scoping review systematically mapped the existing literature on the relationships among coping self-efficacy, perceived social support, and psychological well-being among cancer patients.

Methods: Following the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines and Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, a comprehensive search was conducted across EBSCO, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Google Scholar. Studies were included if they examined psychological well-being in adult cancer patients (≥18 years) using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods designs, and were published in English between 2020 and 2025. Quality assessment was conducted using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for cross-sectional studies and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The PRISMA-ScR guidelines were followed for reporting.

Results: Twelve studies comprising 4019 cancer patients were included. Nine studies achieved high methodological quality. Cancer patients generally maintained moderate to high levels of psychological well-being, though considerable individual variability existed. Social support emerged as the most robust predictor of psychological well-being across all studies, demonstrating consistent positive associations across diverse cultural contexts (Iran, Thailand, Ukraine, United States). Cancer stage was negatively associated with well-being, while demographic factors, including gender, education, and time since diagnosis, showed limited direct associations. Evidence regarding coping self-efficacy was limited; only one study assessed self-efficacy as a distinct construct and found a positive correlation with psychological well-being, though this relationship did not remain significant in multivariate analysis. No studies were identified from Saudi Arabia or the Gulf region.

Conclusion: Perceived social support is a robust and consistent correlate of psychological well-being in adult cancer patients. The relationship between coping self-efficacy and psychological well-being remains underexplored and represents a critical gap in the literature, particularly in Arab populations. Future research should utilize cancer-specific coping self-efficacy measures, examine perceived changes in well-being following diagnosis, and extend investigations to underrepresented populations, including Saudi Arabia. Clinical interventions should prioritize strengthening social support networks and enhancing patients' coping resources.