scholarly journals Does the cancer patient's disease stage matter? A comparative study of caregivers' mental health and health related quality of life

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Karine Grov ◽  
Berit Taraldsen Valeberg

AbstractObjective:Cancer affects both patients and their caregivers. Caregiver burden may change during different stages of the patients' cancer trajectory. Limited research has focused on the impact of being a caregiver, assessed by the caregiver's mental health and quality of life (QOL) during the curative and the palliative phases of the patient's disease. The aim of this study is to compare caregivers of cancer patients during the curative and a palliative phases with respect to their mental health and health-related QOL.Method:This descriptive, cross-sectional study combines data from two studies. The first group consists of caregivers of patients with cancer in the late palliative phase and the second group consists of caregivers of outpatients with cancer who suffer from pain and/or use analgesics. Data were collected by means of standardized measures and analyzed with descriptive statistics.Results:Based on this material, no significant differences in mental health and health- related QOL were revealed for caregivers of cancer patients in the palliative and the curative phases, respectively. Neither education level in the caregivers, nor the patients' functional status influenced caregivers' mental health or QOL. Younger caregivers seem to have better physical QOL.Significance of results:Being caregivers of cancer patients seems to have a similar pattern of impact on caregivers' mental health and quality of life regardless of the patient's disease stage. We share some reflections about the way in which the cancer stage is divided and the appropriateness of such selection for measuring caregivers' mental health and QOL. Additionally, we discuss the use of generic instruments for measuring specific contexts and particular samples.

Author(s):  
Wenny Savitri ◽  
Masta Hutasoit

Information for cancer patients is significant to overcome a cancer diagnosis and its treatment, affecting patients' quality of life. This study aimed to assess the level of satisfaction with the information on illness treatment among Indonesian cancer survivors, explore its association with the patients' demographic and health-related characteristics, and provide recommendations and improve the information. Sixty adult cancer survivors at the oncology unit of Panembahan Senopati Bantul Hospital of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, were recruited in a cross-sectional study design completing a demographic and health-related data form and the Satisfaction with Cancer Information Profile Questionnaire. The data were then analyzed using descriptive statistics and path analysis. Most patients were dissatisfied with the amount and content of cancer information provided by health care ranging from 12-67%, particularly on the information regarding managing unwanted-side effects of the treatment and the impact of their cancer treatment on long-term quality of life. The patients were also discontented with the detail of information, the timing,  and the usefulness of information to others. Demographic and health-related characteristics directly influence the patients' satisfaction of information (β= 0.461, p = 0.045). Patients who were divorced, not living with their spouses, and diagnosed with cancer for a longer time (more than two years) were the significant contributors to directly influencing their satisfaction. Nurses need to enhance the detail of information, find the best time to provide and design a better way to deliver cancer patients' information.


2013 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-106
Author(s):  
Tinatin Gagua ◽  
Tkeshelashvili Besarion ◽  
David Gagua

Objective: The study aimed to measure the effect of primary dysmenorrhea on the quality of life of female adolescents living in Tbilisi, Georgia, and to compare Quality of Life (QoL) with healthy controls.Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study of 424 women aged 14-20, living in Tbilisi, Georgia, coming from academic and research institutions. The women were divided into those suffering dysmenorrhea (exposure group) and those without pain (control group). Reproductive history, demographic features, menstrual pattern, severity of dysmenorrhea and quality of life using the generic instrument EQ-5D, were measured. The Independent T student test was used for group comparison.Results: The group with dysmenorrhea (276) showed a lower Quality of Life score of 0.69 ± 0.20 vs. 0.94 ± 0.10 in the control group (p = 0.000); the Quality of Life VAS was also lower at 74.38 ± 17.83 vs. 87.02 ± 12.03 (p = 0.000). Of the subjetcs with primary dismenorrhea, 56.6% reported school absenteeism due to pain.Conclusion: Primary dysmenorrhea is a common problem in the adolescent population of Tbilisi, Georgia. The results of this study demonstrate that adolescents with primary dysmenorrhea in Georgia experience significantly lower physical and psychosocial health-related QoL than their healthy peers.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. e12633 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Ponticelli ◽  
M. Clari ◽  
S. Frigerio ◽  
A. De Clemente ◽  
I. Bergese ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 447
Author(s):  
Vicki Montoya ◽  
Katie Donnini ◽  
Marjolaine Gauthier-Loiselle ◽  
Myrlene Sanon ◽  
Martin Cloutier ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Tziallas ◽  
Catherine Kastanioti ◽  
Michael S Kostapanos ◽  
Petros Skapinakis ◽  
Moses S Elisaf ◽  
...  

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A143-A144
Author(s):  
Kelly Showen ◽  
Kathleen O’Hora ◽  
Beatriz Hernandez ◽  
Laura Lazzeroni ◽  
Jamie Zeitzer ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Insomnia affects 30–48% of older adults and impairs health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Numerous studies report Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-I) as an effective non-pharmacological treatment for insomnia symptoms, with few examining the impact of CBT-I on mental and physical aspects of HRQoL. While limited research suggests that CBT-I leads to improvements in HRQoL, the impact of the cognitive versus behavioral components of CBT-I on HRQoL is unknown. Methods 128 older adults with insomnia (mean age=69, 66% female, 19% minority) were randomized to receive cognitive therapy (CT), behavior therapy (BT), or CBT-I. The Short Form (36) Health Survey (SF-36) was collected at baseline, post-treatment and six-month follow-up. Split-plot linear mixed models with age and sex as covariates to assess within and between subject changes were used to test intervention, time, and interaction effects on the mental health and physical well-being domains of HRQoL. Significance for all effects was defined as p < 0.05. The effect size (d) was calculated by dividing the difference between means by the root-mean-squared error of the mixed effects model. Results The mental health-related QoL improved over time independent of treatment (Main effect of time: F(2, 202) = 6.51, p < 0.002). The interaction failed to reach significance (Interaction: F(4, 202) = 1.19, p = .31). Simple effects revealed significant improvements among CBT-I participants at six months (p = .02, d = .53) and CT participants at post-treatment (p = .00, d = .79) and six months (p = .03, d = .66), but not among BT participants for either time point (p = .32, d = .24; p = .16, d = .35). Treatment did not improve physical health-related QoL over time (F(2, 202) = 1.01, p = .37) nor was there a significant interaction (F(4, 202) = .46, p = .76). Conclusion These findings suggest that CBT-I, particularly the CT component, may be effective in improving mental health-related QoL outcomes for older adults with insomnia. In contrast, neither CBT-I nor its component treatments were effective in improving physical health-related QoL. Support (if any) NIMHR01MH101468-01; Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) at the VAPAHCS


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