Relationship of Anxiety and Depression with Psychological Flexibility and Sleep Quality in Women with Breast and Gynecologic Cancer: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis

Objective: Being diagnosed with cancer and receiving long-term cancer treatments can affect the mental health of the patients. The current study aimed to evaluate psychological flexibility and sleep quality as markers of anxiety and depression in patients with breast and gynecologic cancer. Methods A descriptive-relational study. This study was conducted with 212 patients with breast and gynecological cancers in the day treatment unit of an oncology department of a medical facility of a state university. Data were collected with participant information form, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Psychological Flexibility Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Results Of the studied patients, 36.3% and 55.3% were in the risk group for anxiety and depression, respectively. Furthermore, 75.3% of participants had poor sleep quality and medium–high psychological flexibility. While psychological flexibility has a positive effect on anxiety and depression, poor sleep quality and high body mass index have a negative effect. Psychological flexibility, sleep quality, and body mass index explained 27% variance in anxiety and depression levels. Conclusions Poor sleep quality, low psychological flexibility, and high body mass index negatively affected anxiety and depression levels in patients.