TOPLINE:

Patients with Crohn's disease (CD) who were in remission showed notably lower appreciation for social support than those experiencing flare-ups or healthy individuals.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a case-control study to assess the impact of social support — and its different types — on patients with CD.
• All the participants were categorised into three groups: healthy individuals (n = 160; mean age, 27.2 years; 60% women), patients with CD experiencing a flare-up (n = 80; mean age, 31.2 years; 45% women), and patients with CD in remission (n = 80; mean age, 34.1 years; 61.2% women).
• Researchers utilised validated social support questionnaires to assess both received support and satisfaction with support, measuring emotional, material, and informational domains. Responses were recorded on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = none to 7 = maximum) regarding support received from family, friends, and healthcare staff.
• Total social support was calculated by summing self-reported scores across social support dimensions; participants were classified as those who received low (< 30), moderate (30-48), high (48-66), and very high (> 66) levels of support.

TAKEAWAY:

• Healthy individuals reported significantly higher levels of social support than patients in the remission group (P = .001).
• Compared with patients in the remission or flare group, healthy individuals had received greater material support (P = .002).
• Healthy individuals had received greater informational support than patients in other two groups (P = .016).
• Satisfaction with the social support received was significantly higher among patients in the flare group than among healthy individuals (P = .018).

IN PRACTICE:

"We propose directly engaging with CD patients in remission to thereby increase their perceived level of received social support, to consequently increase their satisfaction with such support. Specific interactions aimed at improving the perception of material and informational support are also proposed," the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by María José de Dios Duarte, Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain. It was published online on September 09, 2025, in Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology.

LIMITATIONS:

This study was limited by its small sample size and observational case-control nature.

DISCLOSURES:

This study did not receive any specific funding. The authors reported having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.