Exploring the influencing factors of spiritual well-being in patients with advanced cancer undergoing chemotherapy: a latent profile analysis.

Résumé

BACKGROUND: Spiritual well-being (SWB) is an integral component of palliative and holistic care for patients with advanced cancer undergoing chemotherapy. However, its latent characteristics have not been fully explored.OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify latent profiles of spiritual well-being (SWB) among patients with advanced cancer undergoing chemotherapy and to examine the factors influencing profile membership.DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.METHODS: The study was conducted from February to June 2025 in the oncology departments of three Grade-A tertiary hospitals in Southwest China, involving 318 patients with advanced cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Data were collected using the Demographic Information Questionnaire, the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Spiritual Well-being Scale (FACIT-Sp), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Comprehensive Scores for Financial Toxicity Based on the Patient-reported Outcome Measures (COST-PROM), and the Family APGAR Index. Descriptive statistics, latent profile analysis, univariate analysis, and multivariate logistic regression were employed to identify latent profiles of SWB and their influencing factors.RESULTS: The SWB of patients with advanced cancer undergoing chemotherapy was categorized into three latent classes: “Low SWB Group” (28.9%), “Moderate SWB Group” (36.5%), and “High SWB Group” (34.6%). Marital status, residence, monthly household income per capita, payment method for medical expenses, anxiety and depression, FT, and family function were identified as significant factors influencing different levels of SWB (