[The level of social support parameters in relation to coping with stress caused by a disease among female patients suffering from depression]

Social support issues have their permanent position in the studies of socio-psychological changes influencing people's health. Social support has been treated as one of the factors guarding against disease symptoms occurrence and supporting the stable health state.

The purpose the study was to determine how female patients suffering from depression function in society in relation to the social support they receive.

60 female patients with a diagnosed depression and 60 mentally ordered female patients were tested with the use of Uchnast's Sense of Security Questionnaire (KPB). The social support aspects such as the sense of security, sense of closeness, stability and self-confidence were analysed. The participants of the analysis were both women with diagnosed depression and women without any indicators of a depression.

The analysis of the result indicated the existence of differences in the intensity of all the social support parameters in both studied groups of women.

Women with depression are characterised by a lower sense of closeness, lower stability and lower self-confidence. Among the female patients with depression there is a lower level of the need of safety, and this is the symptom characteristic for the individuals not properly adjusted to social conditions. Lower sense of security staunches and deteriorates the perception of social support, both perceived and expected.