The role of trait emotional intelligence in quality of life, anxiety and depression symptoms after surgery for esophageal or gastric cancer: A French national database FREGAT

Objective The main objective was to test the indirect effects of emotional competence (EC) after diagnosis (T1) on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after surgery (T2) of esogastric cancer patients via fewer anxiety and depression symptoms (T2). Methods Data were collected from 30 French centers via the clinicobiological database French EsoGastric Tumors (FREGAT). Two hundred and twenty-eight participants completed a self-reported questionnaire at T1 and T2, assessing their EC (Profile of Emotional Competence (PEC)), HRQoL (EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core (QLQ-C30)), and anxiety and depression symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)). Regression analyses were used to test the direct effects of intrapersonal and interpersonal EC on their anxiety/depression symptoms and HRQoL at T1 and T2. The PROCESS Macro in SPPS v.22 with bootstrap methods was used to test the indirect effects of intrapersonal and interpersonal EC at T1 on HRQoL at T2 via anxiety and depression symptoms. Results EC predicted fewer anxiety and depression symptoms of patients at T1 and T2 and better HRQoL at T1. EC at T1 also predicted a better HRQoL at T2 via fewer anxiety and depression symptoms at T2. Conclusions Patients who tended to use their EC in daily life could be more effective in regulating the emotional impact of the cancer diagnosis and surgery. This explains why they reported fewer anxiety and depression symptoms, which in turn enabled a better perceived HRQoL after surgery. Therefore, reinforcing the use of patients' EC in daily life following their diagnosis could decrease their emotional distress and, in this way, improve their HRQoL in the preoperative and postoperative stages.