Estilos de humor, afrontamiento y soporte social en padres de niños con cáncer

Objective: To analyze the predictive role of coping strategies and social support over humor styles in parents who migrate along with children with cancer. Method: A transactional-correlational quantitative design and non-probabilistic convenience sampling were used. It involved 62 parents (11 men and 51 women) between 20 and 61 years. They answered the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ), COPE Inventory (COPE) and the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS). Results: Regression models were developed for affiliative (R²=0,19, p<0,001) and aggressive humor (R²=0,25, p<0,001), both considered humor styles towards others. For self-oriented humor styles, two models were built to predict self-enhancing humor. The first model considers global social support (R²=0,25, p<0,001), while the second model, affective support (R²=0,27, p<0,001). Likewise, the first model explaining self-defeating humor considers global social support (R²=0,28, p<0,001) and the second, instrumental support (R²=0,27, p<0,001). Discussion: Coping strategies and social support in relation to humor styles in the context of illness and migration demonstrate the effectiveness of certain strategies and styles considered maladaptive in face of a highly stressful situation.