Objective:

To explore the relationships among distress, symptom burden, social support, and digital health literacy in older patients with gastric cancer following surgery.

Approach:

• Study Design: A cross-sectional study involving 767 older postoperative patients with gastric cancer was conducted at a teaching hospital.
• Data Collection: Participants completed validated questionnaires including the BSI-18, MDASI-GI, MSPSS, and e-HEALS.
• Analysis Method: Network analysis was performed using R software to assess the structure, centrality, stability, and accuracy of the factors.

Key Findings:

• The nodes 'Blue' and 'Tense' from the BSI-18, and 'Evaluate' from e-HEALS were identified as the most central nodes in the network analysis.
• 'Friends' and 'Sleep' served as key bridge nodes linking the domains of distress, symptom burden, and social support.
• The network analysis demonstrated stability and accuracy in the assessment of these factors.

Interpretation:

The study explores the relationships among emotional distress, symptom burden, and social support in older postoperative gastric cancer patients.

Limitations:

• The study is cross-sectional, limiting causal inferences.
• Findings may not be generalizable beyond the specific population studied.

Conclusion:

The findings indicate the potential utility of network analysis in understanding the interconnected symptom patterns in this population.