Perceived control, self-management efficacy, and quality of life in patients treated with radiation therapy for breast cancer: a longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: This longitudinal study aims to examine the present state of perceived control, self-management efficacy, and overall quality of life (QoL) in patients with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy, and gain insight into the dynamic trends and factors that influence the quality of life experienced by patients during the course of radiotherapy. METHODS: Participants completed the Cancer Experience and Efficacy Scale (CEES), Strategies Used by People to Promote Health (SUPPH), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy- Breast (FACT-B). The data was analyzed using the software SPSS26.0. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and mixed-effects linear models were used to analyze trends in perceived control, self-management efficacy, and QoL at three-time points, as well as factors affecting QoL during radiotherapy. RESULTS: Perceived control and self-management efficacy were associated with QoL over the course of the radiotherapy. Self-management efficacy (ß = 0.30, P < 0.001), presence of chemotherapy (ß = 18.33, P = 0.024), and duration of illness (ß = 2.25, P = 0.028) had a positive effect on the change in QoL, while time (ß = - 2.95, P < 0.001), cancer experience (ß = - 0.46, P < 0.001), and type of medical insurance (ß = - 2.77, P = 0.021) had the negative effect on the change in QoL. CONCLUSION: The QoL, perceived control, and self-efficacy of patients with breast cancer show dynamic changes during radiotherapy. The higher the self-efficacy, the better the QoL, and the worse the QoL when the sense of disease control is poor. At the same time, more attention should be paid to the QoL of breast cancer radiotherapy patients with a long course of the disease, receiving chemotherapy, and different medical payment methods.

Spirituality as a Mediator Between Social Support and Benefit Finding Among Advanced Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND: Social support and benefit finding (BF) are important for cancer patients. The relationship between social support and BF has not been studied sufficiently in patients with advanced cancer, and the mechanism through which social support might influence BF is unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between social support and BF in Chinese patients with advanced cancer as mediated by their perceptions of spirituality. METHODS: This was a correlation study with a cross-sectional design. We recruited advanced-cancer patients (n = 208) from China. Patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were collected, and they were asked to complete the Benefit Finding Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Spiritual Attitude and Involvement List. RESULTS: Social support was associated with greater spirituality and greater BF ( P < .01). Spirituality was positively correlated with BF ( P < .01). Results from mediation analysis identified that both the indirect effect of social support on BF via spirituality (indirect effect, 0.268; 95% confidence interval, 0.147-0.419) and its direct effect on BF (direct effect, 0.233; 95% confidence interval, 0.031-0.429) were statistically significant, suggesting a partial mediatory effect of spirituality between social support and BF. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings supported a positive association between social support and BF among Chinese advanced-cancer patients. The mediatory role of spirituality should provide a new perspective for augmentation of BF in these patients. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Interventions that help enhance social support and spirituality in patients with advanced cancer could facilitate their BF.

Fear of progression, loneliness, and hope in patients with gastrointestinal cancer: a cross-sectional relational study.

Introduction: In recent years, fear of disease progression (FoP) has become one of the most common psychological problems in cancer patients. However, there are fewer studies on the FoP in patients with gastrointestinal tumors. We aimed to assess the level of FoP in patients with gastrointestinal tumors and analyze the factors related to FoP. We also aimed to examine the relationship among loneliness, hope and FoP in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on three Grade A hospitals in southwestern China from November 2021 to July 2022. The demographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire, Fear of Disease Progression Scale (FoP-Q-SF), Cancer Loneliness Scale (CLS), and Herth Hope Index (HHI) were included in this study. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: In total, 245 gastrointestinal cancer patients participated in this study. The average (standard deviation) FoP score in patients was 32.94 ± 10.64. In total, 245 gastrointestinal cancer patients participated in this study. The average (standard deviation) FoP score in patients was 32.94 ± 10.64. The average score of CLS was 17.65 ± 6.71, and that for the HHI was 31.27 ± 7.73. Pearson correlation analysis showed that FoP was negatively significant correlated with hope level (r = -0.522) and FoP was positively significant correlated with loneliness (r = 0.545). Linear regression analysis showed that educational level, age, living condition, hope, and loneliness were the significant predictors of FoP and explained 53.10% of the variability in FoP (F = 16.372). Conclusion: Findings highlight the need to strengthen attention to FoP in gastrointestinal cancer patients. Our study showed that gastrointestinal cancer patients who have a high school education, are age 45 to 59, live alone, high level of loneliness, and low level of hope have higher FoP. Medical staff should enhance clinical screening of FoP and consider the formulation of relevant interventions for high-risk groups to reduce loneliness among patients, raise their hope level, and reduce their FoP.