Stress and religiosity influence the impact of stigma on mental well-being in cancer patients: a moderated mediation analysis

Although evidence exists on the harmful impacts of stigma on the mental well-being of cancer patients, studies examining the mechanisms through which this association occurs are lacking. We investigated how stigma impacts mental well-being among cancer patients through stress and how religiosity moderates this mediation. The study incorporated a cross-sectional design and the sample consisted of 210 cancer patients in Nigeria aged 18–80 years (males: n = 76, 36.2%; females: n = 134, 63.8%; mean age = 43.19 years, SD = 17.64 years), who completed relevant measures of stress, religiosity, stigma, and mental well-being. Results revealed that stress mediated the relationship between stigma and mental well-being, and religiosity moderated this mediation. Interventions should target stress reduction and leverage religiosity to mitigate the impact of stigma on mental well-being in cancer patients.