Objective
To investigate the factors associated with psychological distress in patients newly diagnosed with gastric cancer.
Methods
This study used a descriptive cross-sectional design. The participants were 173 patients newly diagnosed with gastric cancer who had not yet initiated any treatment. They were recruited from a tertiary hospital in South Korea between December 2023 and September 2025. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires including the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, Supportive Care Needs Survey-Short Form 34, M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory-Gastrointestinal Cancer Module, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression.
Results
The mean psychological distress score was 12.8 ± 7.4 and 46.2% of participants were classified as having clinically significant psychological distress. Psychological distress was significantly positively correlated with illness perception, unmet care needs, and symptom severity. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that illness perception (β = 0.41, P < 0.001), unmet care needs (β = 0.28, P < 0.001), and symptom severity (β = 0.16, P = 0.009) were significantly associated with psychological distress, collectively accounting for 52.6% of its variance.
Conclusions
Psychological distress is common in newly diagnosed patients with gastric cancer. Customized nursing interventions aimed at addressing patients‘ illness perceptions, managing symptoms, and meeting supportive care needs even before treatment initiation may be beneficial for alleviating psychological distress and promoting better psychological adjustment.