Relationships between illness uncertainty, body image, and posttraumatic growth in breast cancer survivors: The moderating role of social support

Illness uncertainty is a common and persistent psychological concern among breast cancer survivors. While it can contribute to negative and positive outcomes, the conditions under which these effects occur remain unclear. This study investigated the relationships among illness uncertainty, body image, and posttraumatic growth (PTG) and examined whether social support moderates these associations. A sample of breast cancer survivors (N=367) completed an online survey. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated significant interaction effects between illness uncertainty and social support on body image and PTG. Simple slope analyses indicated that illness uncertainty was negatively associated with body image when social support was low, but this association was nonsignificant when social support was high. Furthermore, illness uncertainty and PTG were positively associated only under high social support. These findings emphasize the critical role of social support in buffering the adverse effects of illness uncertainty and in facilitating positive psychological transformation among breast cancer survivors.