Association of self-compassion and body image disturbance among young breast cancer patients: Mediating effect of body surveillance and body shame

Objective: To examine whether body surveillance and body shame mediated the association between self-compassion and body image disturbance among young breast cancer patients.

Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, a total of 310 young women with breast cancer were recruited by convenience sampling. All of them completed self-report measurements of demographic and clinical characteristics, self-compassion scale, body image self-rating questionnaire for breast cancer and body surveillance scale, and body shame scale between September and December 2021 ​at a tertiary cancer hospital in Tianjin, China. Data analysis was performed with correlation analysis and structural equation modeling to verify relationships between key variables.

Results: Less self-compassion was significantly associated with greater body image disturbance, while a positive correlation was found between body image disturbance, body surveillance, and body shame. Self-compassion indirectly negative predicted body image disturbance via the chain mediation of body surveillance and body shame.

Conclusions: The links of self-compassion and body image disturbance were mediated by body surveillance and body shame. Reducing patients' excessive body surveillance and body shame by improving their ability of self-compassion may be an effective measure to reduce body image disturbance.