Analysis of the Causal Relationship of Body Image Factors in Patients with Cancer

Patients with cancer can potentially experience the negative impacts of treatment. Physical conditions due to illness and therapy can affect the patient's body image. This study aims to find a causal model among body image factors of patients with cancer using the S3C-Latent Method. The measurement of body image of patients with cancer used the BIS questionnaire. One hundred and ninety-nine patients with cancer participated in this study. The results showed the existence of causal relationships between behavior to cognitive factors and duration of illness with reliability scores of 0.8 and 0.6, respectively; from gender to affective factors, illness duration, behavior, and cognitive factors with reliability scores of 0.6, 0.8, 0.65, and 1, respectively. There are also causal relationships from age to affective factors, duration of illness, and cognitive factors with reliability scores of 0.8, 0.7, and 0.9, respectively. The results also showed that affective factors are associated with behavior, cognitive factors, and duration of illness, with reliability scores of 1, 1, and 0.9, respectively. The results showed further the association of cognitive factors and illness duration with a reliability score of 1. We expect that the estimated causal model will serve as a scientific reference for medical experts in developing a better intervention such as treatment.