Impact of social support on body image during chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer: The chain mediating role of depression and self-efficacy

Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs. 2025 Feb 6;12:100664. doi: 10.1016/j.apjon.2025.100664. eCollection 2025 Dec.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mediating roles of depression and self-efficacy in the relationship between social support and body image in patients with breast cancer during chemotherapy.

METHODS: A convenience sampling method was employed to survey 647 breast cancer chemotherapy patients. The survey included validated scales assessing social support, depression, self-efficacy, and body image. The chain mediation model was established using Mplus 8.3 software.

RESULTS: Social support was negatively correlated with depression (P < 0.001) and poor body image (P < 0.001) and positively correlated with self-efficacy (P < 0.001). Social support indirectly affected body image through three mediating pathways: depression (β = -0.084, P < 0.001), self-efficacy (β = -0.060, P < 0.01), and the depression-self-efficacy pathway (β = -0.058, P < 0.001). The indirect effect accounted for 55.96% of the total effect.

CONCLUSIONS: The results support our hypothesis. Enhancing social support, alleviating depression, and improving self-efficacy through psychological interventions are recommended to improve body image in breast cancer patients during chemotherapy.

PMID:40331005 | PMC:PMC12051052 | DOI:10.1016/j.apjon.2025.100664