Self-management behaviors in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy: A structural equation model

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Health Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Radical prostate cancer treatment significantly impacts patients' lives.
• Effective self-management is crucial for improving health outcomes post-treatment.
• Understanding the factors influencing self-management is essential for developing targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate factors influencing self-management behaviors in patients post-radical prostate cancer surgery.
• To examine the mediating role of self-regulation in the relationship between illness perception, social support, and self-management.
• To test a theoretical model based on the Integrated Theory of Health Behaviour Change.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 281 patients treated at The First Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University.
• Assessment of illness perception, social support, self-regulation, and self-management using validated questionnaires.
• Structural equation modeling to analyze the relationships between the key variables.

Main Results:

• The proposed model demonstrated a good fit to the data.
• Illness perception directly predicted self-management (β = -0.416, P < 0.05) and indirectly influenced it via self-regulation (β = 0.269, P < 0.05).
• Self-regulation directly predicted self-management (β = 0.453, P < 0.05), and social support indirectly influenced self-management (β = 0.225, P < 0.05).
• These factors explained 62.9% of the variance in self-management behaviors.

Conclusions:

• The Integrated Theory of Health Behaviour Change provides a useful framework for understanding self-management in this patient population.
• Patients undergoing radical prostate cancer treatment often exhibit suboptimal self-management behaviors.
• Illness perception and social support are key determinants of self-management, with self-regulation acting as a significant mediator.