Frailty and Social Isolation of Elderly Prostate Cancer Patients: A Chain Mediating and Network Analysis of Illness...

This study examined the effect of frailty on social isolation among elderly prostate cancer patients, focusing on the chain mediating roles of illness perception and acceptance of illness. Additionally, a network analysis was conducted to explore the internal interconnections between illness perception and acceptance of illness.

Descriptive quantitative study.

A total of 288 elderly prostate cancer patients were recruited from a major public hospital in Wenzhou. The study investigated participants' baseline information, frailty, illness perception, acceptance of illness, and social isolation. Chain mediation analysis was conducted using SPSS 26.0 and the PROCESS Macro, whereas partial correlation network analysis was performed in R.

Frailty, illness perception, and acceptance of illness were all significantly associated with social isolation. The link between frailty and social isolation was sequentially mediated by illness perception and acceptance of illness, explaining 61% of the total variance. Among these factors, acceptance of illness exerted the strongest effect. Network analysis further indicated the interrelationship between illness perception and acceptance of illness.

This study highlights the importance of addressing frailty, illness perception, and acceptance of illness in clinical nursing practice, which may help reduce social isolation among prostate cancer patients.

Recognizing frailty, alleviating negative illness perceptions, and enhancing illness acceptance may help prevent social isolation related to illness.

This study provides a theoretical basis for elucidating the mechanisms of social isolation and provides precise targets for clinical intervention. Nurses can integrate various treatment approaches from these views to enhance the health and well-being of elderly prostate cancer patients.

The STROBE guidelines were followed.

Patients contributed by completing the questionnaire, ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the information with assistance from the research team.