A cancer diagnosis has long-term physical and psychological consequences, and patients vary considerably in their mental health outcomes during the disease process. Psychological resilience has been identified as a protective factor, yet the mechanisms through which it influences mental health remain unclear. This study aims to examine the mediating role of psychological flexibility in the relationship between psychological resilience and mental health among individuals diagnosed with cancer. A total of 234 cancer patients participated in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale–Short Form, and the Psychological Flexibility Scale. Path analysis was conducted to test the proposed mediation model. The results indicated that psychological resilience was positively associated with psychological flexibility, and psychological flexibility was negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. Psychological flexibility fully mediated the relationship between psychological resilience and mental health. These findings suggest that psychological flexibility plays a key role in explaining how psychological resilience contributes to better mental health outcomes in cancer patients. Interventions aiming to enhance psychological flexibility may therefore be beneficial in psychosocial support programs for individuals coping with cancer.
Boz et al. (Fri,) studied this question.