Younger, more senior, and most vulnerable? Interaction effects of age and job seniority on psychological distress and quality of life among firefighters.

Background: Prognostic disclosure to patients with advanced cancer facilitates treatment decisions and goals of care discussions. However, the perspectives of patients, families and physicians differ in this regard across different cultures. Non-disclosure of cancer diagnosis or prognosis is commonly observed in family-centric cultures such as India. Aim: To assess the prevalence of and factors associated with cancer patients’ awareness of advanced disease status; and its with quality of life and psychological distress. Methods: Patients for this cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey were recruited from oncology and palliative medicine clinics at a tertiary cancer hospital in India from January 2017 to June 2018. Patients aged ≥ 21 years, aware of cancer diagnosis and receiving oncology treatment for Stage IV solid cancer were included in the study after obtaining written informed consent. Results: Two hundred patients were enrolled, of which 146 (73%) were not aware of the stage of their malignancy and 9 (4.5%) believed that their disease was at stage I, II or III. Those who were aware of their advanced cancer stage had more years of education (9.9 years vs 8.1 years, p = .05) and had poorer spiritual wellbeing in the faith domain (adjusted difference −1.6, 95% confidence interval −3.1 to −0.1, p = .03) compared to those who were unaware. Conclusion: It is recommended that future studies may explore prognostic understanding in Indian patients according to their socio-cultural, spiritual and educational background.

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Quality of life and psychological distress in cancer survivors: The role of psycho‐social resources for resilience

Psycho-Oncology ◽

10.1002/pon.4934 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 271-277 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Craig A. Harms ◽

Lynne Cohen ◽

Julie Ann Pooley ◽

Suzanne K. Chambers ◽

Daniel A. Galvão ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Social Resources

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Impacts of Psychological Distress, Gender Role Attitude, and Housekeeping Sharing on Quality of Life of Gynecologic Cancer Survivors

Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing ◽

10.4069/kjwhn.2018.24.3.287 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 287

Author(s):

Gunhee Kim ◽

Moonjeong Kim

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Gender Role ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Gynecologic Cancer ◽

Gender Role Attitude

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Nutrition Care Processes Can Improve the Nutritional Status and Quality of Life of Persons Who Use Drugs (PWUDs)

international journal high risk behaviors & addiction ◽

10.5812/ijhrba.114975 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa ◽

Frances Pola Santos Arias ◽

James Andrei Justin Pascual Sy ◽

Ren Annaliz Pabustan Garingo

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Nutritional Status ◽

Stress Level ◽

The Philippines ◽

Care Process ◽

Nutrition Care ◽

Nutrition Care Process ◽

Persons Who Use Drugs

: Addiction affects the economy of countries worldwide. Nutrition plays an important role in helping persons who use drugs (PWUDs) to regain their physical and mental health, thereby increasing the probability of recovery. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of implementing the nutrition care process on PWUDs management 120 days after its implementation. Following a quasi-experimental design with pre and post-test evaluations, 268 PWUDs admitted to 8 drug treatment, and rehabilitation centers in the Philippines were recruited. Developed nutrition management guidelines containing the nutrition care process and cycle menu of calculated diet for PWUDs were provided for implementation in the rehabilitation regimen. Body mass index was used to assess nutritional status, dietary diversity score (DDS) to measure diet quality, WHO quality of life-BREF to assess the quality of life (QoL), Kessler-10 Psychological Distress Scale to determine psychological distress, and Beck’s depression inventory to assess stress level. The results indicated a 92% reduction in underweight during the study period. Participants with high DDS significantly increased from 38.43 to 91.04%. All domains of the QoL were improved, the level of severe depression was significantly decreased (6.72 to 4.48%), and decrease in the proportion of participants experiencing moderate (18.3 to 12.7%) and severe psychological distress (4.48 to 3.73%) was observed. There was no significant association between DDS and the three psychological parameters. The implementation of the nutrition care process and the recovery diets is feasible and could improve the nutritional status, QoL, and stress level of PWUDs.

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Killing in Combat; the Diverging Mental Health Impact on Distinct Veteran Populations – A Two-Sample Study

10.31234/osf.io/4g9fb ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Andreas Espetvedt Nordstrand ◽

Christer Lunde Gjerstad ◽

Odin Hjemdal ◽

Are Holen ◽

Tore Tveitstul ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Armed Forces ◽

Mental States ◽

Two Samples ◽

The Impact

This study examined the warzone stressors: killing in combat, experiencing personal threats, or traumatic witnessing during deployment in relation to psychological distress, alcohol consumption and quality of life at long-term follow-up. The study was conducted in two samples of Norwegian veterans who had served in Afghanistan (Study 1, N = 4,053) or in Lebanon (Study 2, N = 10,605), respectively. Data were collected through two postdeployment mental health surveys conducted by the Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Medical Services. Using linear regressions, we investigated the impact of warzone stressors on posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression, anxiety, insomnia, alcohol use, and quality of life. In study 1 (Afghanistan veterans), killing was not a significant predictor of psychological distress, alcohol use, or quality of life, when controlling for Personal Threats and Witnessing exposure. In study 2 (Lebanon veterans) killing remained a significant predictor (p < .001) of symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety, after controlling for other warzone stressors. However, killing was not a significant predictor of alcohol use or quality of life in Study 2. In summary, killing in combat may be associated with increased reports of psychological distress, but there were distinct results in the two studies. Differences in mission statements, rules of engagement, and mental states during combat could explain the diverging outcomes. The results indicate that it may be erroneous to ubiquitously regard killing in combat as a moral stressor, and highlight the importance of clear rules of engagements that accounts for the “on the ground” reality of soldiers.

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Symptom burden, psychological distress, and health-related quality of life in cancer survivors with pelvic late radiation tissue injuries

Supportive Care in Cancer ◽

10.1007/s00520-021-06684-x ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Grete K. Velure ◽

Bernd Müller ◽

May Aa. Hauken

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Symptom Burden ◽

Life Questionnaire ◽

Health Related Quality ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related ◽

Tissue Injuries

Abstract Purpose Curative radiotherapy for cancer may lead to severe late radiation tissue injuries (LRTIs). However, limited knowledge exists about pelvic cancer survivors’ LRTI symptoms, distress, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). We sought to assess the symptom burden, distress, and HRQOL in survivors with established pelvic LRTIs compared to norm populations and to investigate the relation between these factors. Methods Cancer survivors referred for treatment of established pelvic LRTIs were recruited nationwide. LTRIs were assessed with the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC), psychological distress was assessed with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), and HRQOL was assessed with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORCT-QLQ-C30). Results A total of 107 participants (mean age 64, 53% men) were included. Compared to norms, participants reported more urinary (mean 68.7 vs. 89.5; p = 0.00; d = 1.4) and bowel symptoms (mean 62.5 vs. 92.4; p = 0.00; d = 2.7), increased psychological distress (mean 13.4 vs. 10.3; p = 0.00; d = 0.6), and overall poorer HRQOL (mean 54.9 vs. 71.2; p = 0.00; d = 0.7). Higher symptom burden and higher levels of psychological distress were associated with lower HRQOL (r2 = 46%), but psychological distress did not moderate the influence of symptoms on HRQOL. Conclusion Cancer survivors with established pelvic LRTIs are highly burdened compared to norms. The association of the LRTI-related symptom burden with HRQOL is independent of the level of psychological distress. Both coping and treatment interventions are crucial to promoting long-term health and HRQOL. Trial registration NCT03570229.

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