Linear regression analysis results.

BackgroundBreast cancer is a major global health issue. It brings death threats or serious physical injuries to patients, and is a traumatic event that can seriously affect their mental health and lead to post-traumatic stress, which can lead to serious physical, psychological, cognitive, and social dysfunction, and even increase the risk of suicide, and impose a heavy burden on patients and their families.AimTo investigate the mediating effect of experiential avoidance between self-concealment and post-traumatic stress symptoms in breast cancer patients.MethodsThis study used a cross-sectional survey design. From 15/08/2021 to 31/12/2021, breast cancer patients were recruited as study subjects in the oncology department of a tertiary hospital in Deyang City. Data were collected through the following tools: the general information questionnaire, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, the Self-Concealment Scale, and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Second Edition.Results257 breast cancer patients eventually completed the study, all females. Descriptive results showed that breast cancer patients had self-concealment scores (24.75 ± 7.34), experiential avoidance scores (18.48 ± 5.44), and post-traumatic stress symptoms scores (32.29 ± 14.14). Pearson correlation analyses showed that self-concealment was positively correlated with experiential avoidance and traumatic stress response (r = 0.343, 0.467, both P ConclusionExperiential avoidance in breast cancer patients mediates the relationship between self-concealment and posttraumatic stress symptoms. and could guide healthcare professionals in developing tailored interventions to improve the mental health of patients.