Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The protective role of self-compassion in cancer patients' psychological outcomes has been confirmed. However, using a composite score of self-compassion, previous research could not clarify how distinct components of self-compassion may mutually interact. This study, using a person-centred approach, aimed to identify profiles of self-compassion in cancer patients and examined the associations of self-compassion profiles with sociodemographic and medical variables and psychological outcomes.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 289 patients with heterogeneous cancer types recruited from two hospitals in Xi'an, China. Latent profile analysis was used to identify distinct profiles of self-compassion. The Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars approach was used to examine how these profiles related to sociodemographic and medical characteristics and psychological outcomes.
RESULTS: Five profiles of self-compassion were identified: 'average self-compassion' (54%), 'high self-compassion' (19.4%), 'low self-compassion and low self-coldness' (11.4%), 'high self-compassion and high self-coldness' (8%), and 'average self-compassion and high self-coldness' (7.2%). Patients with the 'high self-compassion' profile tended to be older and report no cancer recurrence, and those with the 'low self-compassion and low self-coldness' profile tended to be female. Patients with the 'high self-compassion' profile reported the fewest depressive and anxiety symptoms while patients with the 'average self-compassion and high self-coldness' profile reported the most depressive and anxiety symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed five self-compassion profiles in cancer patients, which had different psychological outcomes. Future longitudinal research should investigate the causality between self-compassion profiles and psychological outcomes.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 25-33 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Psycho-Oncology |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 1 |
Early online date | 25 Mar 2022 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 2023 |
Keywords
- ASSOCIATION
- DISTRESS
- GENDER
- GROWTH
- LATENT CLASS
- METAANALYSIS
- cancer
- latent profile analysis
- oncology
- psycho-oncology
- psychological outcomes
- self-compassion