The Mediating Roles of Self-Disclosure and Social Support in the Relationship Between Self-Perceived Burden and Benefit Finding Among Postoperative Colorectal Cancer Patients.

All variables were measured at the same time, so the model cannot show which came first or whether an intervention would change benefit finding. The sample was limited to a hospital in China, so results may not transfer to other settings. Most patients did not have a stoma, and the authors say the model applies strictly to non-ostomy patients. Potential confounders such as age, operation time, cancer stage, and socio-economic status were not included. All data were self-report questionnaires, which can share common response bias; the authors tested for this but cannot rule it out.

The research received no specific grant from any funding agency, and the authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that reducing self-perceived burden or increasing social support and self-disclosure will cause patients to report more benefit finding. The study measured these variables at the same time, so it shows associations only, not treatment effects.