The mediating role of cognitive flexibility styles in the relationship between anxiety and body image in women with voluntary mastectomy breast cancer

In the present study, we investigate the mediating role of cognitive emotion regulation in the relationship between anxiety and body image of women with voluntary mastectomy breast cancer.

The research method is correlation of structural equations. The sample consisted of 350 participants with voluntary mastectomy breast cancer from two hospitals, Imam Khomeini (RA) and Imam Hossein (AS), who were selected by available sampling method. The instruments used in the research are Beck Anxiety Questionnaire, Hormoz et al. (2008) Body Image Questionnaire and Dennis and Vander Wall (2010) Cognitive Flexibility Questionnaire.

The results showed that the direct effect of anxiety with beta standard coefficient on cognitive flexibility (Beta = -0.789) and on body image (Beta = 0.562) negatively at a level less than one The thousandth (P <0.001) is significant. Also, the direct effect of cognitive flexibility on body image (Beta = 0.211) is positively significant at the level of less than 0.05. In addition, the magnitude of the indirect effect of anxiety on the body image of patients with a standard coefficient of -0.17 is significant at the level of less than 0.05.

Patients who use more cognitive flexibility experience less anxiety and negative body image, and conversely, those who use less cognitive flexibility experience more anxiety and negative body image.