Mediating Effect of Illness Perception on Psychological Distress in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Gastric Cancer: Based on the Common-Sense Model of Self-regulation

A cancer diagnosis is a life-threatening event, but studies on psychological distress in patients with cancer after diagnosis are relatively limited, particularly those in early-stage cancer. OBJECTIVES: On the basis of Leventhal's common-sense model of self-regulation, this study examined the mediating effects of illness perception on psychological distress and identified the factors influencing illness perception in patients with newly diagnosed gastric cancer. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted, and a mediation analysis was performed to determine the role of illness perception in the relationship between social support, the presence of physical symptoms, satisfaction with patient education, and psychological distress. RESULTS: Participants were 184 patients with recently diagnosed early gastric cancer who are waiting for surgery in a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea. The population had a moderate level of psychological distress. Social support, physical symptoms, and satisfaction with patient education significantly influenced illness perception (β = −0.14, P = .048; β = 0.18, P = .015; β = −0.17, P = .019, respectively), and illness perception had a full mediation effect between these 3 variables and psychological distress (β = 0.66, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Healthcare providers need to focus on patients' psychological distress following a diagnosis of cancer because this distress could be easily overlooked in clinical settings, even in patients with early-stage cancer. IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE: Healthcare providers might alleviate patients' psychological distress by improving unrealistic illness perceptions, alleviating physical symptoms, and providing clear and sufficient patient education in patients with cancer after diagnosis.