The Correlation of Social Support and Fear of Breast Cancer among Women in Northeast of Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

Breast cancer (BC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. Screening programs are the most common prevention methods. Perceived social support and fear are two important factors affecting women's participation in breast cancer screening. This study aimed to determine the relationship between fear of BC and perceived social support among women in Torbat Heydarieh, northeast of Iran. This study is an online cross-sectional survey that was conducted on 352 women in Torbat Heydarieh city of Northeast Iran, from October 26th, 2021 to December 26th, 2022. Along with collecting sociodemographic characteristics, the Breast Cancer Fear Scale (BCFS), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were electronically administered to participants. Data were analyzed through SPSS software version 25, using independent samples t-tests, one-way analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression models. The statistical significance level was set at P