Meaning of life, representation of death, and their association with psychological distress

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 511-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ines Testoni ◽  
Giulia Sansonetto ◽  
Lucia Ronconi ◽  
Maddalena Rodelli ◽  
Gloria Baracco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Path Analysis ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Religious Orientation ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Meaning Of Life ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Healthy Participants

AbstractObjective:This paper presents a two-phase cross-sectional study aimed at examining the possible mitigating role of perceived meaning of life and representation of death on psychological distress, anxiety, and depression.Method:The first phase involved 219 healthy participants, while the second encompassed 30 cancer patients. Each participant completed the Personal Meaning Profile (PMP), the Testoni Death Representation Scale (TDRS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Distress Thermometer (DT). The primary analyses comprised (1) correlation analyses between the overall scores of each of the instruments and (2) path analysis to assess the indirect effect of the PMP on DT score through anxiety and depression as determined by the HADS.Results:The path analysis showed that the PMP was inversely correlated with depression and anxiety, which, in turn, mediated the effect on distress. Inverse correlations were found between several dimensions of the PMP, the DT, and the HADS–Anxiety and HADS–Depression subscales, in both healthy participants and cancer patients. Religious orientation (faith in God) was related to a stronger sense of meaning in life and the ontological representation of death as a passage, rather than annihilation.Significance of Results:Our findings support the hypothesis that participants who represent death as a passage and have a strong perception of the meaning of life tend to report lower levels of distress, anxiety, and depression. We recommend that perceived meaning of life and representation of death be more specifically examined in the cancer and palliative care settings.

Psychological distress in patients undergoing urological surgery: A cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
pp. 205141582110140
Author(s):  
Nuala Murray ◽  
Charles O’Connor ◽  
Rhona Dempsey ◽  
Sean Liew ◽  
Helen Richards ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Hospital Anxiety ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Post Surgery ◽  
Oncological Patients

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychological distress of urological and uro-oncological patients undergoing surgery. Methods: Patients who presented to Mercy University Hospital from October 2019–May 2020 were consecutively recruited. Demographic and clinical characteristics including age, gender, marital status, type of surgery (uro-oncology or general urology), endoscopy or open surgery were gathered. Mood was evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale prior to admission, prior to discharge and 6 weeks post-surgery. Results: A total of 118 participants (79.7% male) completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale prior to admission, prior to discharge and at 6 weeks post-surgery. Forty patients (33.9%) underwent uro-oncology-related surgery. At pre-admission 39 patients (33%) fell into a possible-probable clinical category for anxiety and 15 (12.7%) for depression. Older patients had significantly lower anxiety levels than younger patients ( p⩽0.01). There were no differences between patients undergoing uro-oncology or more general urology surgery and levels of anxiety or depression. Repeated measures analysis of variance with age as a covariate indicated no significant differences in Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety scores over time. There was a statistically significant reduction in Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale depression scores over the three assessment time points ( p=0.004). Conclusion: Over one-third of patients were experiencing moderate to severe levels of psychological distress pre-surgery – higher than levels previously reported in uro-oncological patients. Surprisingly, there was no difference in anxiety and depression scores in uro-oncology and urology patients. Psychological distress in both uro-oncology and more general urology patients should be considered in the surgical setting. Level of evidence Moderate

scholarly journals Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety amongst Cancer Patients in a Hospital Setting: A Cross-Sectional Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anish Khalil ◽  
Muhammad Faheem ◽  
Ammad Fahim ◽  
Haran Innocent ◽  
Zainab Mansoor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Hospital Setting ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional

Background. The biomedical care for cancer has not been complemented by psychosocial progressions in cancer care.Objectives. To find the prevalence of anxiety and depression amongst cancer patients in a hospital setting.Design and Setting. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the tertiary care hospitals Shifa International Hospital Islamabad and Nuclear Medicine, Oncology, and Radiotherapy Institute [NORI].Patients and Methods. 300 patients were interviewed from both the outpatient and inpatient department using The Aga Khan University Anxiety and Depression Scale (AKUADS).Main Outcome Measures. Using a score of 20 and above on the AKUADS, 146 (48.7%) patients were suffering from anxiety and depression.Results. When cross tabulation was done between different factors and the cancer patients with anxiety and depression, the following factors were found out to be significant with associatedpvalue < 0.05: education of the patient, presence of cancer in the family, the severity of pain, and the patient’s awareness of his anxiety and depression. Out of 143 (47.7%) uneducated patients, 85 (59.4%) were depressed, hence making it the highest educational category suffering from depression and anxiety.Conclusion. The prevalence of anxiety and depression amongst cancer patients was high showing that importance should be given to screening and counseling cancer patients for anxiety and depression, to help them cope with cancer as a disease and its impact on their mental wellbeing.Limitations. The frequency of female patients in our research was higher than those of male patients.

Perspectives on psychological distress in cancer patients: Comparison between expected, perceived and actual disturbances in a clinic from Argentina

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 18515-18515
Author(s):  
F. Torrente ◽  
D. Gercovich ◽  
H. Hirsch ◽  
P. Margiolakis ◽  
E. Gil Deza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Cutoff Score ◽  
Waiting Room ◽  
Psychological Assistance

18515 Background: Psychological distress is a widespread phenomenon in cancer patients (pts.) Notwithstanding, its recognition and the threshold criteria for referral to a specialized unit are still problematic in clinical practice. Correspondingly, the aim of this study was to explore how much psychological distress (PD) is expected by the oncologists, how much distress is actually present in these pts., and finally how many of them are detected as having significant problems and referred to the mental health unit (MHU). Methods: Three sources of data were compared for the purpose of this study. Firstly, a survey to the practicing oncologists (n =18) was carried out in order to establish the rate of PD expected by them. Secondly, a consecutive sample of 259 pts. was evaluated in the waiting room with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for establishing an estimation of the actual rate of PD in this population. Finally, 115 pts. from the MHU were studied for determining the rate and the accuracy of the referral made by the oncologists. Results: Sixty one percent of the surveyed oncologists considered that 75% or more of their pts would need psychological assistance. The waiting room sample evaluated with the HADS showed that 74.9% of patients surpassed the cutoff score (11 points) for either anxiety or depression, or both. Despite this, less than 5% of the total population of the clinic was referred to the MHU. From this sample, 38.3% of the pts. scored below the cutoff line. The proportion of pts. who exceeded the cutoff score for depression was significantly higher in the MHU sample. Conclusions: Most of the oncologists expect a high rate of PD in their patients, and even overestimate it. Actual rates of anxiety and depression were also high. On the contrary, the rate of referral to specialized mental health treatment was extremely low and the pts. referred were not necessarily highly disturbed. Depression is probably better recognized than anxiety by oncologists. In conclusion, both quantitative and qualitative problems were detected in the referral to the MHU, regardless the awareness of the oncologists about PD. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

scholarly journals Prevalence and correlates of psychological distress among cancer patients in a tertiary care hospital in northern India

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 2223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amita Mason ◽  
Ruchi Juyal ◽  
Sai Chandan Das ◽  
Deep Shikha ◽  
Sunil Saini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Female Ratio ◽  
Female Patients

Background: Patients diagnosed with cancer are usually exposed to high level of mental stress and hence invariably lend in psychological distress. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of psychological distress amongst cancer patients and determine its association with socio-demographic factors.Methods: This hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted at a cancer research institute of district Dehradun. Purposive sampling was used to select the hospital and recruiting patients. All eligible patients, giving written consent for the study were interviewed and distress related information was gathered using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The data were collected for two months and sample size of 208 was achieved. Data was entered in SPSS 22.0 and association of different variables with psychological distress was determined by chi-square test..Results: The mean age of the surveyed cancer patients was 51.05±15.68 years and the male female ratio was 1.7. Prevalence of psychological distress was found to be 38.5% and significantly more female patients than male patients (47.4% and 33.3% respectively) had distress. The association between psychological distress and increasing age, sex, literacy and employment status was found to be significant.Conclusions: Approximately 39% of cancer patients had psychological distress (anxiety/ depression/ both). The prevalence of psychological distress was found to be significantly higher in female patients, older age, patients with no formal education, unemployment and lower socio-economic status. Appropriate psychiatric interventions/ counselling following diagnosis and during therapy may be effective in reducing distress and improving quality of life in cancer patients.

scholarly journals The Impact of Cancer Treatment “Out-of-Pocket” Costs on the Mental Health of Chemotherapy Patients: A Comparative Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thiago Artioli ◽  
Karine Corcione Turke ◽  
Aline Hernandez Marquez Sarafyan ◽  
Beatriz Boos Ortolani ◽  
Ingrid Victoria Maria Biondo Edle von Schmadel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Unified Health System ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Out Of Pocket Costs

Abstract Introduction: Anxiety and depression are prevalent comorbidities in cancer patients. Although cancer treatment is funded by the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), economic burden is also borne by patients through out-of-pocket costs. Our study sought to evaluate the impact of out-of-pocket costs of cancer treatment on depression, anxiety and stress levels in cancer patients.Methods: Observational, cross-sectional and analytical study conducted in 2021. Patients undergoing chemotherapy were being treated at tertiary hospital affiliated with the SUS and enrolled in research protocols at research center. To evaluate out-of-pocket costs, we used a socioeconomic questionnaire to identify costs and time spent by patients. Primary outcomes were prevalence of depression and anxiety, as determined by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and prevalence of stress, as determined using a stress thermometer.Results: 195 patients were included. Among included patients, 61% were female, and mean age was 57 years. Patients' median overall out-of-pocket costs was R$ 453.80 (US$ 78.92). Based on the HADS, 62.1% of patients had possible or probable depression/anxiety. There was no correlation between overall out-of-pocket spending and levels of depression/anxiety. However, when stratified by cost-time variables, there was a negative correlation between spending on telephones and HADS (rho = -0.140; P = 0.049) and positive correlations between spending on medications (rho = 0.140; P = 0.05) and time spent purchasing medications (rho = 0.157; P = 0.029) with HADS.Conclusion: Although overall spending was not directly correlated with mental health, specific costs impacted levels of anxiety, depression and stress.

scholarly journals Relationship between malnutrition and the presence of symptoms of anxiety and depression in hospitalized cancer patients

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco José Sánchez-Torralvo ◽  
Victoria Contreras-Bolívar ◽  
María Ruiz-Vico ◽  
José Abuín-Fernández ◽  
Inmaculada González-Almendros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Nutritional Assessment ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Depression Symptomatology

Abstract Background Anxiety and depression are a common issue in patients with cancer, yet understudied among hospitalized patients. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptomatology in cancer inpatients and its relationship with malnutrition. Methods Cross-sectional study in hospitalized cancer patients. A nutritional assessment was done using the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria to diagnose malnutrition. Data regarding anxiety and depression symptomatology was obtained with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results A total of 282 inpatients were assessed. GLIM criteria found 20% (66) of well-nourished and 80% (216) with malnutrition. HADS presented an average score of 8.3 ± 4.4 with respect to anxiety and an average score of 7.7 ± 4.6 with respect to depression. Up to 54% of the patients showed a possible presence of anxiety, and 45.3% of them showed a possible presence of depression. In malnourished patients, HADS score was non-significantly higher with respect to anxiety (8.5 ± 4.3 in malnourished vs 7.1 ± 4.6 in well-nourished; p = 0.06) and was significantly higher with respect to depression (8.2 ± 4.6 in malnourished vs 5.3 ± 4.0 in well-nourished; p < 0.001). After controlling for potential confounders, malnourished patients were 1.98 times more likely to present anxious symptomatology (95% CI 1.01–3.98; p = 0.049) and 6.29 times more likely to present depressive symptomatology (95% CI 1.73–20.47; p = 0.005). Conclusions The presence of anxiety and depression symptomatology in oncological inpatients is high. There is an association between malnutrition and presenting anxious and depressive symptomatology in hospitalized cancer patients.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Psychological Distress and Coping Strategies in Patients with Advanced or Terminal Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 313
Author(s):  
Suthisa Temtap ◽  
Kittikorn Nilmanat
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Hospital Anxiety ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Terminal Stage ◽  
And Coping ◽  
The Relationship

Objectives: This study was aim to describe the relationship between psychological distress and coping strategies among patients with advanced or terminal stage hepatocellular carcinoma.Material and Method: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. Data were collect from hospitalized sample at medical units in a tertiary care hospital in southern Thailand during April 2015 - December 2016. Ninety-six sample of advanced or terminal stage hepatocellular carcinoma. Research instruments consisted of 4 parts: (1) a demographic data form, (2) The Karnofsky Performance Status Scale, (3) psychological distress questionnaires using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and (4) coping strategies questionnaire developed by researchers based on Lazarus and Folkman’s stress and coping theory and literature reviews. Cronbach’s alphas for Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and coping strategies questionnaire were 0.89 and 0.84. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient was used.Results: A relationship analysis found that there was a moderate, negative correlation between psychological distress and coping strategies (r=-0.66, p-value<0.001)Conclusion: The results of this study reveal that increases in psychological distress were correlated with decreases in coping strategies among patients with advanced or terminal stage hepatocellular carcinoma. A screening assessment for psychological distress is needed. The results of this study can be used for developing nursing program to promote effective coping strategies among patients with advanced or terminal stage hepatocellular carcinoma to help them live well at the end of life.  

Detecting psychological distress in cancer patients: validity of the Italian version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

1999 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 121-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Costantini ◽  
Marco Musso ◽  
Paola Viterbori ◽  
Francesca Bonci ◽  
Lucia Del Mastro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Hospital Anxiety ◽  
Italian Version

scholarly journals Performance of Distress Thermometer and Associated Factors of Psychological Distress among Chinese Cancer Patients

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Sudip Thapa ◽  
Huihui Sun ◽  
Gaurab Pokhrel ◽  
Bangyan Wang ◽  
Sanuja Dahal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Clinical Utility ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Distress Thermometer ◽  
Cutoff Score ◽  
Characteristic Analysis ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Associated

Objective. We aimed to examine the performance of the distress thermometer (DT) and identify the prevalence and risk factors associated with psychological distress (PD) in heterogeneous cancer patients. Methods. This cross-sectional study enrolled 1496 heterogeneous cancer patients from the inpatient and outpatient departments. Receiver operating characteristic analysis (ROC) of DT was evaluated against the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Total (HADS-T ≥15). An area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and clinical utility index were calculated. Multiple binary logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with PD. Results. Referring to ROC analysis, DT showed good discriminating accuracy (AUC = 0.88). A cutoff score of 4 was established, and it yielded sensitivity (0.81), specificity (0.88), PPV (0.87), NPV (0.82), and clinical utility indexes (screening utility = 0.71 and case-finding utility = 0.73). 46.5% of our participants was distressed. Lower education levels (odd ratio (OR) = 1.39), advanced stage (OR = 1.85), active disease status (OR = 1.82), lack of exercise (OR = 3.03), diagnosis known (OR = 0.64), emotional problems (OR = 3.54), and physical problems (OR = 8.62) were the predictive factors for PD. Conclusion. DT with a cutoff score (≥4) is a comprehensive, appropriate, and practical initial screener for PD in cancer patients. Predicting factors should be considered together for effective management of PD in such population.

The impact of a multidimensional exercise program on self-reported anxiety and depression in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: A phase II study

2005 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
JULIE MIDTGAARD ◽  
MIKAEL RØRTH ◽  
REINHARD STELTER ◽  
ANDERS TVETERÅS ◽  
CHRISTINA ANDERSEN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Phase Ii ◽  
Exercise Intervention ◽  
Phase Ii Study ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Exercise Program ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Adherence Rate ◽  
The Impact

Little is known about the role of exercise in improving cancer patients' mood while undergoing chemotherapy. In this phase II study changes in self-reported anxiety and depression and fitness (VO2max) are reported in relation to a 6-week, 9 h weekly, multidimensional exercise program. A total of 91 patients receiving chemotherapy, between 18 and 65 years old, completed a Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale Questionnaire (HADS; response rate 91%, adherence rate 78%). Anxiety (p< 0.001) and depression (p= 0.042) was significantly reduced. The mean ±SDof the change was −1.14 ± 2.91 for anxiety and −0.44 ± 2.77 for depression. Improvements in fitness were correlated with improvements in depression, χ2(1) = 3.966,p= 0.046, but not with improvements in anxiety, χ2(1) = 0.540,p= 0.462. The research suggests that exercise intervention may have a beneficial impact on psychological distress for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy with low to moderate levels of baseline psychomorbidity. The study furthermore indicates that changes in distress may be associated with disease status and levels of physical activity undertaken during disease. The study is followed up by an ongoing randomized clinical controlled trial to evaluate potential causal effects of exercise intervention on psychological distress and fitness in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document