Background: Anger is considered a common method used by patients to relieve emotional frustrations. However, this emotional response is not a common research focus for adolescents with cancer.
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether self-concept mediated the relationship between anger and resilience for adolescent patients currently being treated for cancer.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of 40 adolescents with cancer was conducted. The instruments included the Chinese Beck Self-Concept Inventory, the Chinese Beck Anger Inventory, and the Chinese Resilience Scale. Mediation analysis was also conducted.
Results: The results indicate that (1) variations in anger significantly account for 6.86% of observed variations in self-concept, (2) variations in self-concept significantly account for 52.83% of observed variations in resilience, (3) variations in anger significantly account for 10.96% of observed variations in resilience, and (4) when paths in conditions 1 and 2 were controlled, variations in anger through self-concept significantly account for 54.04% of observed variations in resilience, and variations in anger did not significantly account for observed variations in resilience.
Conclusions: Gender and age might affect anger control. Despite worse physical functioning and an impacted appearance, participants had normative-to-positive self-concept levels, suggesting that their self-concept might not be affected by cancer. Self-concept might play a mediating role between anger and resilience, thus helping to bridge this knowledge gap.
Implications for practice: The current gap in knowledge regarding the mediating relationship necessitates the implementation of a large-scale study designed to verify the mediating role of self-concept between anger and resilience.