Anxiety and self-efficacy in Chinese lung cancer patients: cross-lagged effects and the mediation of resilience.

AIM

To explore the longitudinal causal relationship between anxiety and self-efficacy in lung cancer patients and the mediating role of resilience in the reciprocal relationships.

DESIGN

A longitudinal observational study.

METHODS

This study collected data on anxiety, resilience, and self-efficacy in 333 Chinese first-diagnosed lung cancer patients at three time points: T1 (preoperative hospitalization), T2 (one month after surgery), and T3 (three months after surgery).

RESULTS

The results of cross-lagged panel modeling showed that there was a significant mediating effect of resilience, which mediated the weakening effect of anxiety at T1 on self-efficacy at T3 and mediated the weakening effect of self-efficacy at T1 on anxiety at T3.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that resilience longitudinally mediated the relationship between anxiety and self-efficacy in lung cancer patients.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Enhancing medical staff's capacity to reduce the incidence of preoperative anxiety and improve self-efficacy in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery.

IMPACT

Future research could develop interventions related to resilience to buffer or even block the debilitating effects of anxiety on self-efficacy and enhance the weakening effects of self-efficacy on anxiety in lung cancer patients.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

This study directly involved the patients in hospital settings.

REPORTING METHOD

This study adhered to the STROBE guidelines for cohort studies.