This study aimed to understand the meaning that the family in social vulnerability attributes to the social support and social network, in their experience with cancer. This is a qualitative study guided by the Symbolic Interactionism as a theoretical framework and the Grounded Theory as a methodological reference. Data was collected, between 2008 and 2009, through interviews with six families that had one member diagnosed with cancer, and referred by a Family Health Care Unit in a country town, in São Paulo. Results from data continuous comparative analysis showed two dynamically interrelated phenomena: Realizing they were vulnerable and Supporting each other for care. The meaning of social network and support, for these people, has been constructed during care, in a context of poverty, suffering from vulnerability and social exclusion. This study highlights the need for nursing interventions appropriate to the real necessities of families with cancer patients, in a situation of social vulnerability.
Neoplasm; Family; Social support; Social vulnerability; Family nursing