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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Health Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1519537
This article is part of the Research Topic Implementing Mental Health Prevention and Promotion Programs: A Sustainable Approach - Volume II View all 3 articles

A study of the mediating effect of self-perceived burden between meaning in life and dignity in disabled patients based on a dignity theory model

Provisionally accepted
Tang Rong Tang Rong Xing Ding Xing Ding *zong Xian Cheng zong Xian Cheng *an Rui Liu an Rui Liu *
  • Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective To explore the mediating role of self-perceived burden between meaning in life and the level of dignity in patients with disability. Methods From July to October 2023, 229 disabled patients in a tertiary hospital in Sichuan Province, China were selected and surveyed using the Self-Perceived Burden Scale, Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and Patient Dignity Inventory. Results The levels of self-perceived burden, meaning of life, and dignity of the disabled patients were 23.55±9.83, 46.27±9.71, and 43.38±22.04 points, respectively. Self-perceived burden was positively correlated with the level of dignity (r = 0.460, P < 0.001), and meaning in life was negatively correlated with self-perceived burden and the level of dignity (r = -0.325, r = -0.526, both P < 0.001). The results of structural equation modeling showed that the total effect of the meaning in life of disabled patients on the level of dignity was -1.1945, the direct effect was -0.9559, and the indirect effect was -0.2386, with the indirect effect accounting for 19.98% of the total effect. Conclusion Self-perceived burden partially mediated the relationship between the meaning of life and the dignity of patients with incapacitation. Caregivers should pay attention to the level of patients' self-perceived burden and actively cooperate with treatment and control of disease development as the current goal of life to enhance patients' meaning of life and improve the loss of dignity.

    Keywords: Disability, Self-perceived burden, meaning in life, Dignity, Mediating effect

    Received: 30 Oct 2024; Accepted: 13 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Rong, Ding, Cheng and Liu. 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:
    Xing Ding, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, China
    zong Xian Cheng, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, China
    an Rui Liu, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, China

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