Network analysis of the interrelationships among stigma, resilience, and self-esteem in lung cancer patients

Stigma is a significant psychosocial challenge for patients with lung cancer and is closely related to psychological resilience and self-esteem. However, most existing studies have examined these factors in isolation, overlooking the complex interrelationships among their specific dimensions. This cross-sectional network analysis investigated 248 patients with lung cancer using validated measures of stigma, resilience, and self-esteem. A regularized partial correlation network comprising 11 dimensions was estimated using the EBICglasso algorithm. Expected Influence (EI) and Bridge Expected Influence (BEI) were used to assess overall and cross-community connectivity, respectively. “Hope for the Future” showed the highest observed EI (EI = 1.91), closely followed by “Support and Coping,” while “Self-Negation” showed the highest observed BEI (BEI = 0.517). These findings characterize the interconnected structure of stigma, resilience, and self-esteem and highlight future-oriented hope and negative self-evaluation as potentially relevant dimensions for psychosocial assessment and intervention development, although their roles should be further examined in longitudinal studies.