Relationship of Social Capital with Hope for the Future in Patients with Cancer in Seyyed -O- Shohada Hospital in Isfahan

Despite all the advances, cancer is still a deadly disease. An important solution in encountering, confronting, and overcoming this deadly disease is hope among the patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between social capital and hope in patients with cancer.

Research method was survey, and the population was patients with cancer in Seyyed-o-Shohada Hospital in Isfahan that 118 cases were selected through multi-stage random sampling method from Chemotherapy, Men’s ward, Women’s ward, Men's surgery, and Women's surgery. Research instruments to measure social capital was Onyx and Bullen's (2000) questionnaire, and to assess hope, Snyder’s (1994) hope to future questionnaire was applied.

Based on the findings of the study, the hope for future is average among patients with cancer in Seyyedol Shohada Hospital in Isfahan. The results of structural equation modeling showed that, social capital has a positive and significant (P = 0.010) relationship with hope to future and able to explain 56 percent of the variation of the dependent variable.

With teaching social capital and increasing it, hope to future among patients with cancer can be promoted and one of the main challenges of the health and therapy system in Iran, cancer deaths, would be alleviated.