the mediating role of physical health in the correlation between distress tolerance and meta-emotion in women with breast cancer: a structural equation modeling approach

Background: breast cancer can cause significant emotional and psychological challenges for women and their families. the stress and anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis can pave the way for the development of a variety of psychological disorders. this study investigated the potential mediating role of physical health in the association between distress tolerance and metaemotional awareness in women diagnosed with breast cancer.methods: this study employed a descriptive correlational design, enrolling a convenience sample of women diagnosed with breast cancer who were receiving treatment at the hematology department of shafa hospital in ahvaz city, iran, between march and august 2023. a sample of 207 patients was selected using convenience sampling method. distress tolerance scale, meta-emotion scale, and physical health questionnaire were used to collect data. the hypothesized model was assessed using structural equation modeling (sem) with maximum likelihood estimation. data analysis was performed using the spss version 27 and amos version 25.results: the results showed a significant correlation between physical health and distress tolerance in women with breast cancer (p<0.001). the correlation between meta-emotion and distress tolerance was not significant (p<0.001). moreover, the indirect correlation of meta-emotion to distress tolerance through the mediating role of physical health was significant (p=0.009).conclusion: in women with breast cancer, physical health was significantly correlated with distress tolerance, while metaemotion had an indirect correlation mediated by physical health. these findings suggested that physical health is a crucial factor for distress tolerance, and warrants further investigation to better understand how meta-emotion and distress tolerance are connected through the pathway of physical health.