ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Gastrointestinal Cancers: Colorectal Cancer
The Relationship Between Perceived Stress and Depression in Colorectal Cancer Patients: The Mediating Role of Illness Perception and the Moderating Role of Self-Efficacy
Provisionally accepted
- 1First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, China
- 2Nursing Department, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China
- 3Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shenyang, China
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Background: Numerous studies have demonstrated a close association between perceived stress and depression in colorectal cancer patients; however, the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. This study aims to investigate the impact of perceived stress on depression in this population, as well as the mediating role of illness perception and the moderating role of self-efficacy. Method: A cross-sectional design was employed. From May to November 2024, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 290 colorectal cancer patients at two Grade A tertiary hospitals in Shenyang and Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, China. The questionnaire comprised sections on general demographics, perceived stress, illness perception, self-efficacy, and depression. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0 and the PROCESS 3.5 macro. Mediation and moderation effects were tested using bootstrap resampling. Results: A significant positive correlation was found between perceived stress and depression (β = 0.483, P < 0.001) and this relationship was partially mediated by illness perception (β = 0.083). Self-efficacy moderated the association between perceived stress and illness perception (β = 0.024, P < 0.001), with higher levels of self-efficacy strengthening the relationship between perceived stress and illness perception. Conclusion: This study identifies illness perception as a mediating pathway in the association between perceived stress and depression, while self-efficacy moderates the relationship between perceived stress and illness perception. Accordingly, a multidimensional clinical approach may be considered for addressing depressive symptoms in colorectal cancer patients. Such an approach could concurrently target perceived stress reduction, modification of illness perception, and enhancing self-efficacy.
Keywords: colorectal cancer, Depression, illness perception, perceived stress, self-efficacy
Received: 14 Nov 2025; Accepted: 05 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Wang, Xu, Sun, Wang, Che and Huang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ye Huang
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