Social Support in Breast Cancer Care: Profiles, Predictors, and Nursing Strategies for Telehealth Integration

Background: Social and emotional support strongly influences quality of life (QoL) in women with breast cancer, yet detailed profiles of support needs and their sociodemographic determinants in routine care remain underexplored. Furthermore, strategies for integrating nurse-led and telehealth-enabled psychosocial interventions into oncology practice require consolidation. Objectives: To describe perceived and received social support among women with breast cancer using the Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS), identify sociodemographic predictors of support levels, and synthesize recent evidence on peer support, nurse-led follow-up, and telehealth-based psychosocial care to inform a practical nursing framework. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 65 women treated in a surgical oncology unit in Poland (May–August 2024). The BSSS assessed perceived emotional/instrumental support, need for support, support seeking, currently received emotional/instrumental/informational support, and satisfaction. Non-parametric tests (Mann–Whitney U, Kruskal–Wallis, Spearman rho) were applied. Evidence synthesis included systematic reviews and randomized trials published between 2023 and 2025. Results: Overall perceived and received support were high. Living with family and being married/partnered were associated with higher emotional, instrumental, and informational support and satisfaction (p < 0.05), while older age correlated weakly with lower instrumental support (rho ≈ −0.26, p < 0.05). No significant associations were found for education, disease stage, or duration. Literature review confirmed that peer support improves QoL and anxiety, nurse-led follow-up reduces fear of recurrence and distress, and telehealth interventions provide modest but significant psychosocial benefits. Conclusions: Although most women report strong social support, those living alone or widowed/divorced remain vulnerable and should be prioritised for targeted interventions. Embedding routine psychosocial screening, structured peer mentorship, and telehealth-enabled stepped care into oncology nursing can enhance QoL and mental health outcomes.