Factors associated with benefit finding in patients with lung cancer: a structural equation model analysis

Abstract Purpose: This study aimed to test a hypothesized model of benefit finding (BF) of patients with lung cancer to explore how resilience, social support and coping affect BF. Methods: 301 lung cancer patients hospitalized in two tertiary hospitals in Jiangsu pronvice were selected by convenient sampling method from July 2020 to February 2021. General information questionnaire, benefit finding scale, the Connor-Davidson resilience scale, social support rating scale and medical coping modes questionnaire were used to conduct in the investigation. Structural equation modelling was used to explore the effects of related factors on BF. Results: The fit index of the hypothesized model was satisfactory. Resilience, social support, confrontation coping and acceptance-resignation coping had direct effects on BF. Moreover, social support had an indirect effect on BF through resilience, confrontation coping, acceptance-resignation coping and resilience-acceptance coping, resilience also had an indirect effect on BF through acceptance coping. Conclusions: our results showed that the level of BF of lung cancer patients is low. Based on the results of model, medical staff should help them make good use of the social support system, enhance their resilience, correctly recognize the disease and face it positively, so as to improve the level of patients' BF and improve their quality of life.