A comparison of the health locus of control and perceived social support between cancer and AIDS patients

This study compared the health locus of control (HLOC) and perceived social support levels of 219 cancer patients and 122 acquired immunodeficiency sy ndrome (AIDS) patients. Further, the relationship between HLOC and social s upport was explored. Chinese versions of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (MHLC) (Form B) and the Personal Resources Questionnaire ( PRQ) (Part 2) were used. Results showed that AIDS patients have a higher in ternal BLOC than cancer patients. The perceived social support of cancer pa tients was higher than that of AIDS patients. Social support was positively associated with internal HLOC and negatively associated with chance HLOC i n both the samples. Implications of these results for nursing practice and future research are discussed.