Relationship between psychological resilience and cognitive function on breast cancer chemotherapy patients: a person-centered method

Background Previous studies have indicated a connection between resilience and cognitive function, but critical gaps persist regarding limited data exploring the relationship between resilience profiles and cognition using person-centered methodologies, especially in the context of breast cancer patients. Objectives While the general correlation between resilience and cognitive function is known, how various resilience profiles impact cognitive function in breast cancer patients remains unclear. The study aimed to identify resilience profiles and explore the relationship with cognitive function in breast cancer (BC) patients. Methods This study was a cross-sectional study in descriptive research. BC patients (n = 425) from a tertiary oncology hospital completed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog) scale and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC- 25). Latent profile analysis was adopted to identify subgroups of patients with distinct resilience profiles according to model fit indices. An ANOVA analysis and Chi-square test were also employed. Results Three profiles were identified, including Class 3, "High resilience-positive coping group" (n = 187, 44.7%), Class 2, "Medium resilience-effort regulation group" (n = 157, 37.6%), and Class 1, "Low resilience-negative coping" (n = 74, 17.7%). The results demonstrate that perceived cognitive impairment (CogPCI), other people's appraisal (CogOth), perceived cognitive ability (CogPCA), impact on quality of life (CogQOL), and FACT-Cog were significant differences in all three potential latent resilience profiles (P < 0.001). The CogPCI and FACT-Cog scores in Class 3 were the best, while Class 1 was the lowest. Conclusion The psychological resilience profile contains three classes, and the findings provide evidence that high resilience potentially serves as a crucial protective factor for cognitive function in BC patients. Healthcare providers should improve their ability to recognize and evaluate factors influencing resilience, including social support and physical activity, which will enable the development of precise nursing interventions to mitigate the long-term adverse effects of trauma and reduce the impact of cognitive impairment on BC patients.