Social support, optimism, and self-efficacy predict physical and emotional well-being after bone marrow transplantation.

This study examined whether three psychosocial variables (social support, self-efficacy, and optimism) assessed prior to bone marrow transplantation (BMT) predicted physical and emotional wellbeing one year post-BMT. Data were gathered on 87 participants enrolled in a multicenter, randomized trial examining the impact of ex-vivo T-cell depletion on disease-free survival in leukemia patients receiving allogeneic BMT. Social support, optimism, and self-efficacy significantly predicted emotional and physical well-being one year post-BMT, controlling for age, gender, maximum grade of acute GVHD, and treatment arm. Attention to psychosocial factors prior to BMT and during recovery appears critical for physical and mental well-being, especially considering the influence of psychosocial variables independent of medical risk factors.