The Relationship Between Demoralisation, Medical Coping Style, Resilience and Perceived Social Support in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Yunyun Li,1,2 Zhimin Liu,1,2 Xingyao Lu,1,2 Xiaoying Chai,3 Ning Bai,3 Ying Chen4 1Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 2Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 3Endocrine Department, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 4Oncology Department, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Ning Bai, Endocrine Department, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, 1000 Hefeng Road, Binhu District, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214000, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 18762692562, Email [email protected] Ying Chen, Oncology Department, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, 1000 Hefeng Road, Binhu District, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214000, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 18762692562, Email [email protected]: To explore the severity of demoralisation in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and its relationship with medical coping style, psychological resilience and perceived social support.Methods: This cross-sectional study sequentially recruited a total of 253 patients with CRC between August 2023 and April 2024. Socio-demographic and clinical information were collected using a survey. The Demoralisation Scale II (DS-II) was used to assess demoralisation, and results from a Chinese version of the medical coping style questionnaire, a perceived social support scale and a simplified psychological resilience scale were collected. Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to analyse the relationship between demoralisation and other variables.Results: The mean score of the DS-II was 11.71 ± 6.32, with 40.7%, 44.3% and 15% of patients with CRC exhibiting low, moderate and high levels of demoralisation, respectively. Demoralisation was significantly correlated with gender, education level, marital status, occupation, family residence, family per capita monthly income, health insurance type, presence of a caregiver, past medical history, number of chronic diseases, length of hospitalisation, number of hospitalisations, disease stage, metastasis and presence of an enterostomy (p < 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that metastasis, medical coping style, social support and psychological resilience were independent risk factors significantly associated with demoralisation in patients with CRC (adjusted R2 = 0.801; p < 0.05).Conclusion: Demoralisation is associated with medical coping style, social support and psychological resilience in patients with CRC. Early and regular monitoring using specially designed and effective tools is essential. This innovative study combines demoralization with coping, support, and resilience to reveal its profound impact on nursing practice and enhance the quality of patient care.Keywords: colorectal cancer, medical coping style, social support, psychological resilience, demoralisation scale