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Synergistic psychosocial pathways linking resilience to self-efficacy in lung cancer following video-assisted thoracic surgery: a cross-sectional study

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background: Recovery after video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) can involve pain, fatigue, distress, and reduced confidence in rehabilitation activities. Objectives: Guided by conservation of resources theory, this study examined associations between resilience and cancer-related self-care self-efficacy measured during early postoperative recovery, the indirect roles of social support and negative emotion, and whether social support moderated the resilience-self-efficacy association. Design: A cross-sectional study. Settings: One tertiary Grade A cancer hospital in South China. Participants: A convenience sample of 225 adults with primary lung cancer who underwent elective VATS was assessed on postoperative days 3 to 5 before discharge. Methods: Participants completed a sociodemographic/clinical questionnaire and validated Chinese versions of the social support, cancer self-care self-efficacy, resilience, and negative emotion scales. Observed-variable serial mediation paths were estimated with 5000 bootstrap resamples; moderation was examined with a resilience by social support interaction. Results: Resilience was positively associated with self-efficacy (B = 2.080, 95% CI 1.826 to 2.334). The indirect associations through social support (B = 0.118, 95% CI 0.024 to 0.212), negative emotion (B = 0.084, 95% CI 0.004 to 0.164), and both variables sequentially (B = 0.018, 95% CI 0.004 to 0.032) were statistically significant. The resilience by social support interaction was also significant (beta = 0.083, p = 0.010). Conclusions: In this early postoperative sample, resilience, social support, negative emotion, and self-efficacy showed patterns consistent with the proposed resource-based model. Nursing strategies that assess and support these resources should be tested in longitudinal and interventional studies.

Source: International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnsa.2026.100705

Authors: Xinru Chen, Gaoyang Duan, Jiudi Zhong, Heping Wu, Yang Dong, Dandan Liu

Institutions: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, South China University of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Cancer survivorship and care

Subfield: Oncology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,930