Body image and its associated factors among Chinese head and neck cancer patients undergoing surgical treatment: a cross-sectional survey.

Purpose: Body image is a critical psychosocial issue for patients with head and neck cancer. However, the current status and associated factors of body image in patients with head and neck cancer in Mainland China remain unknown. This study aimed to explore body image concerns for head and neck cancer patients undergoing surgical treatment in Mainland China and to identify the associated factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted including 154 patients who underwent surgery for head and neck cancer at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital in Mainland China. Participants were surveyed using the Body Image Scale (BIS), the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and a questionnaire designed for this study. The Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Spearman's rank correlation, and stepwise multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data.

Results: The score of BIS was 6.00 (4.00, 8.00). Multiple regression analysis revealed that anxiety, cancer stage, sex, active coping style, and educational level were factors related to body image. These five variables accounted for 40.7% of the total variance in body image.

Conclusions: These findings indicate body image dissatisfaction in surgically treated patients with head and neck cancer. Patients with greater anxiety, a more advanced cancer stage, female sex, fewer active coping strategies, and higher education are more likely to have an inferior body image. Assessment and effective psychosocial interventions are needed initially for patients with head and neck cancer to manage body image concerns.