Key result
Higher self-esteem linked to better HRQoL in ovarian cancer by reducing self-perceived burden.
Why the study?
Ovarian cancer is characterized by poor health-related quality of life, but the mediating role of self-perceived burden in the impact of self-esteem on quality of life and the moderating effect of age were unclear.
Does self-esteem improve health-related quality of life in patients with ovarian cancer, and is this mediated by self-perceived burden and moderated by age?
Does self-esteem improve health-related quality of life in patients with ovarian cancer, and is this mediated by self-perceived burden and moderated by age?
Self-esteem improves health-related quality of life in ovarian cancer patients by reducing self-perceived burden, with stronger effects observed in younger patients.
May inform supportive care in ovarian cancer; extends mediation models but leaves causal effects open.
Background: Ovarian cancer, the most lethal gynecologic malignancy, is characterized by a poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The present study examined the mediating role of self-perceived burden (SPB) in the impact of self-esteem on HRQoL and whether age moderated the associations among ovarian cancer patients. Methods: 203 patients effectively completed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and SPB scale, respectively. For the FACT-G, physical (PWB), social/family (SFWB), emotional (EWB), and functional well-being (FWB) were scored separately. Results: Significant mediation of SPB in the impacts of self-esteem on PWB (a × b = 0.074, 95% CI: 0.018, 0.153), EWB (a × b = 0.048, 95% CI: 0.001, 0.125), and FWB (a × b = 0.056, 95% CI: 0.009, 0.114) were revealed. Age positively moderated the impact of self-esteem on SPB (β = 0.159, p < 0.05), and the associations of SPB with PWB (β = 0.173, p < 0.05) and EWB (β = 0.240, p < 0.01), indicating a moderated mediation. Conclusions: Ovarian cancer patients’ self-esteem could improve the PWB, EWB, and FWB domains of HRQoL by reducing SPB. Age could attenuate SPB’s mediation in the impacts of self-esteem on PWB and EWB, indicating stronger impacts in younger patients. Clinical programs integrating components that strengthen self-esteem and reduce SPB may be particularly beneficial for younger women with ovarian cancer.
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Dou et al. (2026) studied this question. In ovarian cancer patients, self-esteem improved physical, emotional, and functional well-being by reducing self-perceived burden, with age moderating these effects.
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