Analysis of trajectory changes and predictive factors of sense of coherence in patients after colorectal cancer surgery

To investigate the trajectories and potential categories of changes in the sense of coherence (SOC) in patients after colorectal cancer surgery and to analyze predictive factors.

From January to July 2023, 175 patients with colorectal cancer treated at a tertiary Grade A oncology hospital in Jiangsu Province were selected as the study subjects. Prior to surgery, SOC-13 scale, Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA), Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ), and Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) were used to survey the patients. SOC levels were measured multiple times at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months post-surgery. Growth Mixture Modeling (GMM) was applied to fit the trajectory changes of SOC in patients after colorectal cancer surgery. Multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze the predictive factors of SOC trajectory changes.

The SOC scores of patients at points T1–T4 were (65.27 ± 9.20), (63.65 ± 10.41), (63.85 ± 11.84), and (61.56 ± 12.65), respectively. Multinomial logistic regression results indicated that gender, employment status, disease stage, household monthly income, intestinal stoma, nutritional status, illness perception, and social support were predictors of SOC trajectory changes (P < 0.05).

There is heterogeneity in the trajectory changes of SOC in patients after colorectal cancer surgery. Healthcare professionals should implement early precision interventions based on the patterns of changes and predictive factors in each trajectory category.