Benefit Finding and Related Factors of Patients with Early-Stage Cancer in China

Abstract

(1) Background: Although the research on benefit finding (BF) in China has increased in recent years, it remains in its infancy. Few previous studies have focused on early-stage cancer patients. Therefore, this research study aimed to explore BF and its influencing factors for early-stage cancer patients in China. (2) Methods: From April to August 2019, 319 patients with early-stage cancer in the treatment period were selected by the convenience sampling method and evaluated using the Benefit Finding of Cancer Patients Scale-Chinese (BFS-C), Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), and Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire (MCMQ). (3) Results: The mean BF score was 47.57 (SD = 12.26). The results of the correlation analysis show that benefit finding was positively correlated with social support, but negatively correlated with acceptance-resignation. In addition, social support was negatively correlated with avoidance and acceptance-resignation. The results of the multiple linear regression indicate that the variables of self-assessment of disease severity, exercise time, coping mode (acceptance-resignation), and social support, affect BF. Finally, social support was shown to exert an intermediary effect on acceptance-resignation and BF. (4) Conclusions: In this study, the score of BF of patients with early-stage cancer was low. Medical staff should be more aware of the health behavior of patients with early-stage cancer, guide them to actively face the disease, and fully mobilize the social support of patients’ friends and family, so as to help patients increase their disease BF.