Relationship between self-compassion and emotional regulation on the qualitity of life among patients with adenocarcinoma of the digestive system

The diagnosis of cancer can cause distress, especially during the initial stage of the diagnosis. This psychological distress experienced by patients with cancer as a reaction to their diagnosis depends upon various factors such as the personality of the patient, their socio-economic status, and social environment along with other factors such as the site of cancer, stage at diagnosis, and symptoms of the disease. Along with these factors, the distress caused due to diagnosis can also be impacted by emotional, physical, and psychological variables. Many negative emotions such as anger and blame can result from being diagnosed with cancer, which can hinder the management of the disease and affect the patient’s quality of life.

Quality of life is the overall well-being that consists of objective as well as subjective measures of materialistic, physical, social, and emotional well-being along with the personal development of the individual. From a psychological perspective, self-compassion and emotion regulation have the potential to reduce distress and improve the quality of life. This finding has shown good support among non-clinical populations but mixed support in clinical populations. Thus to address this gap, this current study aims to understand the relationship between self-compassion and the role of emotional regulation on the quality of life among patients diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the digestive system.