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. 2024 Dec 10:12:100638.
doi: 10.1016/j.apjon.2024.100638. eCollection 2025 Dec.

Exploring the relationship between illness perception, self-transcendence, and demoralization in patients with lung cancer: A latent profile and mediation analysis

Chunyan He  1   2 , Shuhui Liu  2 , Xiaoping Ding  3 , Yinying Zhang  4 , Jie Hu  5 , Feng Yu  5 , Deying Hu  1
Affiliations

Exploring the relationship between illness perception, self-transcendence, and demoralization in patients with lung cancer: A latent profile and mediation analysis

Chunyan He et al. Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs. .

Abstract

Objective: This study examined the heterogeneity of illness perceptions in patients with lung cancer and evaluated the mediating role of self-transcendence in the relation between illness perception and demoralization.

Methods: A convenience sample of 477 patients with lung cancer was selected from three tertiary hospitals in Wuhan, China, between January and June 2024. Participants completed the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, Self-Transcendence Scale, and Demoralization Scale. Data were analyzed using Mplus 8.3 and SPSS 25.0.

Results: Three latent illness perception profiles were identified among patients with lung cancer: low (27.25%), moderate (40.04%), and high (32.71%). Mediation analyses revealed a partial mediation effect in the relation between illness perception and demoralization in the low versus moderate (SE ​= ​1.56, 95% CI ​= ​14.71, 20.86) and high versus low illness perception groups (SE ​= ​1.71, 95% CI ​= ​35.44, 42.71).

Conclusions: Patients with lung cancer exhibited heterogeneous illness perceptions, and self-transcendence partially mediated the relation between illness perception and demoralization. Promoting self-transcendence may help mitigate the negative impact of illness perceptions on demoralization. Clinical interventions aimed at reducing negative illness perceptions and enhancing self-transcendence should be prioritized in the care of patients with lung cancer.

Keywords: Demoralization; Illness perception; Latent profile analysis; Lung cancer; Mediation analysis; Self-transcendence.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Pearson correlation heatmap among illness perception, self-transcendence, and demoralization.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A. Fit indices and participant distribution of the latent profile analysis. B. Patterns of three distinct latent classes. C. Analyses of univariate and multivariate data stratified by three distinct classes.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Mediating effects of self-transcendence on demoralization.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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