AccScience Publishing / CP / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/CP026120019
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

The effect of stigma on quality of life in lung cancer patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy: The mediating role of psychological resilience and benefit finding

Jing Wei1 ,  Gaogao Chang1* ,  Ting Sun1 ,  Jing Liu1 ,  Rong Zhang1
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1 Department of Nursing, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
CP, 026120019 https://doi.org/10.36922/CP026120019
Received: 19 March 2026 | Revised: 19 May 2026 | Accepted: 22 May 2025 | Published online: 10 July 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Many lung cancer patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy experience stigma, which shows a negative association with quality of life. This study investigates the mediating roles of psychological resilience and benefit finding in this relationship. A total of 215 lung cancer patients receiving chemoradiotherapy at a hospital in Shanxi Province between October 2024 and December 2025 were recruited via convenience sampling. They completed a general information questionnaire, the Social Impact Scale, the Benefit Finding Scale, the 10-item Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life questionnaire. Stigma was negatively correlated with psychological resilience, benefit finding, all functioning domains, and global health status, whereas positive correlations were observed among psychological resilience, benefit finding, and quality-of-life indicators. Mediation analyses demonstrated that psychological resilience and benefit finding were significant mediators of the relationship between stigma and quality of life. In addition, stigma maintained a significant direct negative association with quality of life. Furthermore, a chain mediating effect through psychological resilience and benefit finding was identified. These findings highlight the relevance of stigma, psychological resilience, and benefit finding to quality of life within this patient population. Future multicenter longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm these associations and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Keywords
Lung cancer
Stigma
Psychological resilience
Benefit finding
Quality of life
Funding
This study was supported by Shanxi Bethune Hospital Nursing Fund (2023YH27).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
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