Latent profiles of social reintegration level among patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy: a cross-sectional study

As the social aspects of cancer rehabilitation receive increasing attention, social reintegration has emerged as an important dimension of rehabilitation outcomes. In China, family-centred role expectations present additional culturally specific challenges for patients with breast cancer. This study aimed to identify patterns of social reintegration levels among patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy in the Chinese cultural context, examine factors associated with profile membership, and explore differences in psychosocial resources across profiles. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using convenience sampling among 274 patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy at two tertiary grade A hospitals in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China, from November 2025 to February 2026. Data were collected using a general information questionnaire, the Reintegration to Normal Living Index (RNLI), Social Impact Scale (SIS), 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), and Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS). Latent profile analysis was performed in Mplus 8.3. The Robust 3-Step Method (R3STEP) examined exploratory associations with profile membership, and the Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars Method (BCH) compared SIS, CD-RISC-10, and PSSS scores across profiles. A total of 274 valid questionnaires were included. A three-profile model was selected based on parsimony, class size, interpretability, and the Lo-Mendell-Rubin likelihood ratio test. The profiles were labelled low-level ( n = 99, 36.1%), moderate-level ( n = 117, 42.7%), and high-level ( n = 58, 21.2%) social reintegration groups. R3STEP analyses identified exploratory associations of age, educational level, monthly income, number of chemotherapy cycles, and chemotherapy setting with profile membership. BCH analyses showed significant differences in SIS, CD-RISC-10, and PSSS scores across the three profiles. Social reintegration level among patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy showed graded differences associated with sociodemographic factors, clinical treatment exposures, and individual psychosocial resources. These findings may inform the design of future studies of stratified nursing interventions.