Elucidating the behavior of physical fatigue and mental fatigue in cancer patients: a review of the literature

2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 1919-1929 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. de Raaf ◽  
C. de Klerk ◽  
C. C. D. van der Rijt
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Mental Fatigue ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Physical Fatigue

scholarly journals Fatigue in breast cancer patients during the therapy: Examining the role of demographic and clinical determinants, psychological factors and social support

TIMS Acta ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-36
Author(s):  
Ivana Novakov
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Breast Cancer Diagnosis ◽  
Mental Fatigue ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Physical Fatigue ◽  
Social Interventions ◽  
Cancer Related Fatigue ◽  
Functional Social Support

Cancer-related fatigue is one of the most prominent problems in cancer patients, which often remains inadequately treated, because the etiology of this syndrome is still relatively unknown. This study aimed to examine demographic, clinical, and psycho-social determinants of physical and mental aspects of cancer-related fatigue. The study was conducted on 64 women with a breast cancer diagnosis, aged between 33 and 79 years (M=58.36, SD=11.30) while undergoing radiation therapy. For the assessment of physical and mental fatigue, the Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS Serbian) was used. Demographic and clinical data, symptoms of anxiety and depression (DASS-21), neuroticism (BFI), and functional and structural social support (Serbian translation MOS-SSS) were examined as well. The results showed that depression, anxiety, and neuroticism correlated positively with both physical and mental fatigue, while structural and functional social support correlated negatively only with the physical dimension. Participants who have a partner reported significantly lower levels of physical fatigue compared to those who are not in a relationship, while such a difference was not detected in the case of mental fatigue. Neuroticism and relationship status were the most important predictors of physical fatigue, while neuroticism alone was the most significant predictor of mental fatigue. The results showed that physical and mental fatigue have different correlates, and that personality traits and social support might be of greater relevance for understanding fatigue, than clinical and demographic factors. These findings may be of importance when assessing the risk factors for fatigue and planning psycho-social interventions to empower breast cancer patients.

scholarly journals Fatigue and Mental Status of Caregivers of Severely Chronically Ill Patients

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Sung-Goo Kang ◽  
Sang-Wook Song ◽  
Se-Hong Kim ◽  
Yi-Jin Kang ◽  
Young-Rye Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Disease Duration ◽  
Chronically Ill ◽  
Mental Fatigue ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Physical Fatigue ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Long Term Treatment

Background and Aims. Fatigue is an unpleasant experience accompanied by functional deterioration involving both mental and physical factors. Caregivers of patients with severe illnesses who require long-term treatment often experience marked physical and mental fatigue. This study investigated the factors affecting fatigue among caregivers of patients with severe chronic diseases. Methods. The study enrolled 100 caregivers of patients providing home care nursing at a university hospital in Gyeonggi-do of Korea, including 47 caregivers caring for cancer patients and 53 caregivers caring for chronic disease patients (e.g., dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease). The degree of fatigue was measured using the Korean version of the multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI-K). Caregiver depression and anxiety were examined using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results. The average MFI-K score of all caregivers was 60.43 ± 13.77 and did not differ significantly between those caring for cancer patients and those caring for patients with severe chronic diseases (62.15 ± 13.27 vs. 58.49 ± 14.20, respectively, p=0.186). The longer the disease duration, the greater the general and physical fatigue of the caregiver (r = 0.284, p=0.004). However, caregiver mental fatigue did not differ according to disease duration (r = 0.169, p=0.094). The main factors affecting caregiver general and physical fatigue were caregiver anxiety and depression and patient’s disease duration. Conclusions. The caregivers of patients with cancer or chronic severe illnesses experience high levels of fatigue: the longer the disease duration, the greater the degrees of depression, anxiety, and physical fatigue experienced by the caregivers. Such caregivers need strategies to manage their fatigue and depression.

scholarly journals Social support in early-stage breast cancer patients with fatigue

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hege Lilleskare Sørensen ◽  
Tore Kr. Schjølberg ◽  
Milada Cvancarova Småstuen ◽  
Inger Utne
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Mental Fatigue ◽  
Early Stage Breast Cancer ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Physical Fatigue ◽  
Cancer Related Fatigue

Abstract Background A large number of women with breast cancer suffer from fatigue, and social support is described as having a positive impact on health in stressful life situations. The aim of this study is to evaluate social support in a sample of early-stage breast cancer outpatients with fatigue during treatment, and to evaluate the association between cancer-related fatigue and social support and between social support and demographic and treatment characteristics. Method This cross-sectional study includes 160 outpatients with early-stage breast cancer and cancer-related fatigue. The patients were recruited from clinics at a university-based cancer centre in Norway. The research instruments included The Social Provisions Scale (SPS), which measures ‛attachment’, ‛social integration’, ‛reassurance of worth’, and ‛nurturance’, and a fatigue questionnaire (FQ), which measures total, physical and mental fatigue. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and linear regression analysis. Results Median total score for SPS was 59 (min/max = 39/64). Significant associations were found between mental fatigue and the provisions ‛reassurance of worth’ (B = − 0.34, 95% CI = [− 0.60; − 0.08]) and ‛nurturance’ (B = 0.20, 95% CI = [0.08; 0.31]). In addition, an association was found between social support and living with someone (B = 6.09, 95% CI = [4.07; 8.11]). No associations were found between physical fatigue and social support or between social support and treatment variables. Conclusions To a large extent, breast cancer patients with fatigue in this study experienced social support from their surroundings. The fact that there were significant associations between mental fatigue and two of the provisions of SPS suggests that social support is more closely related to mental fatigue than to physical fatigue. Findings from this study suggest that living with someone is important for the experience of social support during treatment for breast cancer. Clinicians need to evaluate demographic characteristics in relation to social support in early-stage breast cancer patients with fatigue.

scholarly journals The Use of Massage Therapy for Reducing Pain, Anxiety, and Depression in Oncological Palliative Care Patients: A Narrative Review of the Literature

ISRN Nursing ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Falkensteiner ◽  
Franco Mantovan ◽  
Irene Müller ◽  
Christa Them
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Complementary Medicine ◽  
Massage Therapy ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Literature Analysis ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Pain Anxiety

A considerable number of cancer patients use complementary medicine therapies in order to alleviate different symptoms such as pain, anxiety, and depression, occurring in connection with cancer. This paper explores the question to what extent massage therapies are able to reduce the amount of pain, anxiety, and depression. For this purpose, a systematic literature analysis was carried out in the electronic databases and specialist journals. There is already evidence that massage therapies can influence the symptoms of pain, anxiety, and depression in a positive way.

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