scholarly journals Emotional Distress in Cancer Patients During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Toquero ◽  
Carmen Blanco Fernández ◽  
María Pilar López Martí ◽  
Berta Hernández Marín ◽  
E. Beatriz Vera Cea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Tumor Type ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Psychological Symptomatology

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused mental health problems worldwide. The psychopathological implications of COVID-19 in cancer patients have rarely been addressed. Considering the increased vulnerability of oncology patients, this issue needs to be addressed to improve the long-term mental health status of these patients.Methods: We conducted a prospective study in outpatients under active cancer treatment during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A semi-structured 24-question survey was designed to measure baseline sociodemographic, psychosocial and COVID-19 exposure characteristics. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to measure psychological symptoms. A descriptive and analytical univariate analysis of the variables studied was performed. We used the Z-score to compare different populations (experimental and historical control cohort).Results: 104 patients were included, the majority of which were women (64.4%), were above 65 years of age (57.7%), had either lung and breast cancer (56.7%), had advanced disease (64%) and were undergoing chemotherapy (63.5%). 51% of them expressed greater fear of cancer than of COVID-19 infection or both.In relation to HADS, 52.8% of emotional distress, 42.3% of anxiety and 58.6% of depression rates were detected. The main factors related with higher rates of psychological symptomatology were history of previous psychotropic drug consumption and the adoption of additional infection prevention measures because they considered themselves at risk of severe COVID-19 infection (p = 0.008; p = 0.003 for emotional distress, p = 0.026; p = 0.004 for anxiety, and p = 0.013; p = 0.008 for depression). Tumor type, stage, oncologic treatment or rescheduling of cancer treatments were not related to higher levels of psychological symptomatology.Comparison of our results with another population of similar characteristics was not significant (Z score = −1.88; p = 0.060).Conclusions: We detected high rates of emotional distress during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic among cancer patients in active treatment (52.8%). This was higher and clinically relevant than observed in a comparable population (42.5%), although not significant. Cancer itself is the main factor of concern for cancer patients, above and beyond the emotional distress generated by COVID-19 pandemic.

Survival Prediction in Terminally Ill Cancer Patients by Clinical Estimates, Laboratory Tests, and Self-Rated Anxiety and Depression

2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (22) ◽  
pp. 3313-3320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Gripp ◽  
Sibylle Moeller ◽  
Edwin Bölke ◽  
Gerd Schmitt ◽  
Christiane Matuschek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Metastases ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Laboratory Tests ◽  
Performance Status ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Tumor Board ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Survival Prediction

Purpose To study how survival of palliative cancer patients relates to subjective prediction of survival, objective prognostic factors (PFs), and individual psychological coping. Patients and Methods Survival was estimated according to three categories (< 1 month, 1 to 6 months, and > 6 months) by two physicians (A and B) and the institutional tumor board (C) for 216 patients recently referred for palliative radiotherapy. After 6 months, the accuracy of these estimates was assessed. The prognostic relevance of clinical symptoms, performance status, laboratory tests, and self-reported emotional distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) was investigated. Results In 61%, 55%, and 63% of the patients, prognoses were correctly estimated by A, B, and C, respectively. κ statistic showed fair agreement of the estimates, which proved to be overly optimistic. Accuracy of the three estimates did not improve with increasing professional experience. In particular, the survival of 96%, 71%, and 87% of patients who died in less than 1 month was overestimated by A, B, and C, respectively. On univariate analysis, 11 of 27 parameters significantly affected survival, namely performance status, primary cancer, fatigue, dyspnea, use of strong analgesics, brain metastases, leukocytosis, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), depression, and anxiety. On multivariate analysis, colorectal and breast cancer had a favorable prognosis, whereas brain metastases, Karnofsky performance status less than 50%, strong analgesics, dyspnea, LDH, and leukocytosis were associated with a poor prognosis. Conclusion This study revealed that physicians' survival estimates were unreliable, especially in the case of patients near death. Self-reported emotional distress and objective PFs may improve the accuracy of survival estimates.

Anxiety Depression and Burden among the Caregivers of Persons with Neurological Illness

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Anil Kumar Roy ◽  
Nilesh Maruti Gujar ◽  
Arif Ali ◽  
Utpal Borah
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Hospital Anxiety ◽  
Care Burden ◽  
Neurological Illness ◽  
Rehabilitation Sciences ◽  
Anxiety Depression

Background: Studies have shown that caregivers of the persons with the neurological illness have high levels of psychological distress, depression and caregiver’s burden. The aim of the study was to find out anxiety, depression and caregiver’s burden among the caregivers of persons with neurological illness (PWNI). Method: Thirty caregivers of PWNI attending the Centre of Rehabilitation Sciences, LGB Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur, Assam were selected using purposive sampling technique for the present study. Socio-demographic and clinical data sheet, Zarit Burden Interview Scale and The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were used. Results: The results shown that in Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, 26.6% of the caregivers' scores were in the abnormal range in the domain of depression. While in the domain of anxiety, 16.6% scored in the abnormal range. In Zarit Burden of Scale, 13.3% of the caregivers were having little or no burden, 26.6% of the caregivers were having mild to moderate level of burden, 20% were having moderate to severe burden and 30% were having a severe burden of care. Care burden has significant positive correlation with depression (r= .124, p≤ 0.01 and anxiety (r= .124, p≤ 0.05). Conclusion: Caregivers of PWNI have been found to be at higher risk of mental health problems and care burden. The importance of addressing the burden of caregivers involved in the care of PWNI need to be taken into consideration while providing treatment and rehabilitation of PWNI.     Keywords: Anxiety, depression, burden, neurological illness

scholarly journals Comorbidity, Functional Impairment, and Emotional Distress: A Coping Mediation Model for Persons With Cancer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas V Merluzzi ◽  
Errol J Philip ◽  
Brenna Gomer ◽  
Carolyn A Heitzmann Ruhf ◽  
Dahyeon Kim
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Functional Impairment ◽  
Model Comparison ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Life Assessment ◽  
Functional Impairments ◽  
Brief Cope ◽  
Distress Scale ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Comorbid disease in cancer patients can substantially impact medical care, emotional distress, and mortality. However, there is a paucity of research on how coping may affect the relationship between comorbidity and emotional distress. Purpose The current study investigated whether the relations between comorbidity and emotional distress and between functional impairment and emotional distress were mediated by three types of coping: action planning (AP), support/advice seeking (SAS), and disengagement (DD). Methods Four hundred and eighty-three persons with cancer completed a measure of functional impairment (Sickness Impact Profile), the Checklist of Comorbid Conditions, the Brief COPE, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Quality of Life Assessment for Cancer Survivors (Negative Feelings Scale), and the Distress Screening Schedule (Emotional Distress Scale). The latter three measures were used to form a latent construct representing the outcome, emotional distress. Results Model comparison analysis indicated that the model with DD as a mediator had a better fit than models containing AP and SAS. DD mediated the relationship between functional impairment and emotional distress, so that engaging in DD was associated with greater distress. In addition, comorbidity and functional impairment were directly and positively related to emotional distress, but the relation between comorbidity and distress was not mediated by coping type. Conclusions Both comorbidity and functional impairment may be associated with distress, but disengagement coping only mediated the relation involving functional impairment and was positively associated with distress. Future studies can investigate whether teaching active coping or adaptive coping (e.g., through mindfulness exercises) can decrease distress in cancer patients, despite functional impairments.

scholarly journals Child maltreatment, cognitive functions and the mediating role of mental health problems among maltreated children and adolescents in Uganda

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Herbert E. Ainamani ◽  
Godfrey Z. Rukundo ◽  
Timothy Nduhukire ◽  
Eunice Ndyareba ◽  
Tobias Hecker
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Child Maltreatment ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Problems

Abstract Background Child maltreatment poses high risks to the mental health and cognitive functioning of children not only in childhood but also in later life. However, it remains unclear whether child maltreatment is directly associated with impaired cognitive functioning or whether this link is mediated by mental health problems. Our study aimed at examining this research question among children and adolescents in Uganda. Methods A sample of 232 school-going children and adolescents with a mean age of 14.03 (SD = 3.25) was assessed on multiple forms of maltreatment using the Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology Exposure—Pediatric Version (pediMACE). Executive functions were assessed by the Tower of London task and working memory by the Corsi Block Tapping task, while mental health problems were assessed using the Child PTSD Symptom Scale for PTSD and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC). Results In total, 232 (100%) of the participant reported to have experienced at least one type of maltreatment in their lifetime including emotional, physical, and sexual violence as well as neglect. We found a negative association between child maltreatment and executive functions (β = − 0.487, p < 0.001) and working memory (β = − 0.242, p = 0.001). Mental health problems did not mediate this relationship. Conclusions Child maltreatment seems to be related to lower working memory and executive functioning of affected children and adolescents even after controlling for potential cofounders. Our study indicates that child maltreatment the affects children’s cognitive functionality beyond health and well-being.

Self-Report Depression Scales in the Elderly: The Relationship between the CES-D and ZUNG

1989 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 325-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce R. Deforge ◽  
Jeffery Sobal
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Somatic Symptoms ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Common Mental Health Problems ◽  
Depression Scales ◽  
The Relationship

Depression is one of the most common mental health problems in the elderly, but there is little consensus about the best way to assess depression in the aged. The relationship between the CES-D and the ZUNG self-report depression scales was investigated in seventy-eight elderly people with osteoarthritis (mean age 71). The correlation between the scales was r = .69, with the CES-D classifying 15 percent of the participants as depressed, as compared to 6 percent by the ZUNG. Psychological symptoms had the strongest relationship with overall depression scores on both scales. No sex differences were found on psychological items on either scale, but females reported more somatic symptoms on the ZUNG. People over age seventy-four reported more psychological symptoms than their younger counterparts.

scholarly journals Exploring the quality of life and psychological symptoms of university students in Cyprus during the Covid-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 110-121
Author(s):  
Hadjicharalambous Demetris ◽  
Loucia Demetriou ◽  
Koulla Erotocritou
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Idioms Of Distress

The onset of the infectious disease Covid19 originating in Wuhan, China, took over the world in December 2019 and was declared a pandemic in January 2020.  Empirical evidence resulting from relevant research illustrated that the effects of the pandemic itself but also of the strict measures to contain the spread of the virus on the mental health and well-being of affected populations were just as unanticipated as the pandemic itself. Data led to the identification of six idioms of distress: (1) Demoralization and pessimism towards the future, (2) anguish and stress, (3) self-depreciation, (4) social withdrawal and isolation, (5) somatization, (6) withdrawal into oneself. Our research explores the psychological impact of the Covid19 pandemic on college students and their quality of life. The study took place in Cyprus with 356 young participants, whereas 256 were female (72%) and 100 were male (28%). They all completed the General Health Questionnaire-28 and the Life Satisfaction Inventory (LSI). The present study's findings revealed that six factors, including residence without family, the deterioration of the financial situation of the family, the loss of employment, the deterioration of social relationships, young age, and gender, have significantly affected in a negative way the mental health and quality of life of young people. Research findings revealed that the strict lockdown and physical/social isolation measures had a significant adverse effect on our sample, whereas participants showed increased symptoms of anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction, and somatization. Young adults who lost their jobs during the pandemic or had a significant decrease in their family income, and students who stayed away from their families, experienced a negative impact on their quality of life and had to cope with more mental health problems.

scholarly journals Child maltreatment, cognitive functions and the mediating role of mental health problems among maltreated children and adolescents in Uganda

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herbert E Ainamani ◽  
Godfrey Z Rukundo ◽  
Timothy Nduhukire ◽  
Eunice Ndyareba ◽  
Tobias Hecker
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Child Maltreatment ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Problems

Abstract Background: Child maltreatment poses high risks to the mental health and cognitive functioning of children not only in childhood but also in later life. However, it remains unclear whether child maltreatment is directly associated with impaired cognitive functioning or whether this link is mediated by mental health problems. Our study aimed at examining this research question among children and adolescents in Uganda. Methods: A sample of 232 school-going children and adolescents with a mean age of 14.03 (SD = 3.25) was assessed on multiple forms of maltreatment using the Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology Exposure – Pediatric Version (pediMACE). Executive functions were assessed by the Tower of London task and working memory by the Corsi Block Tapping task, while mental health problems were assessed using the Child PTSD Symptom Scale for PTSD and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC).Results: In total, 232(100%) of the participant reported to have experienced at least one type of maltreatment in their lifetime ranging from having been intentionally pushed by an authority figure (89.7%, n = 208) to entering an object in the participant’s body (2.6%, n =6). We found a negative association between child maltreatment and executive functions (β = -0.487, p < .001) and working memory (β = -0.242, p = .001). Mental health problems did not mediate this relationship.Conclusions: Child maltreatment seems to be related to lower working memory and executive functioning of affected children and adolescents even after controlling for potential cofounders. Our study indicates that child maltreatment affects children’s cognitive functionality beyond health and well-being.

Historical Trauma, Ethnic Experience, and Mental Health in a Sample of Urban American Indians

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-156
Author(s):  
Nicholas Guenzel ◽  
Leeza Struwe
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
American Indians ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Historical Trauma ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Effective Care ◽  
Mainstream Society

BACKGROUND: Historical trauma (HT) among American Indians (AIs) has been linked with poor mental health but has been inadequately studied among urban populations. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to describe historical trauma, historical loss associated thoughts, ethnic experience, and psychological symptoms among a population of urban AIs. METHOD: This was a mixed methods study. In addition to focus groups, survey participants were administered the Historical Losses Scale, the Historical Losses Associated Symptoms Scale, the Scale of Ethnic Experience, and the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment Adult Self-Report. Rates of psychological symptoms were compared with matched controls from a normative data set. RESULTS: Participants reported a strong sense of ethnic identity, a moderate desire to associate with other AIs, moderate comfort within mainstream society, and moderately high perceived discrimination. The most common HT themes were loss of culture, respect by children of traditional ways, and language. Compared with controls, participants had higher rates of aggressive behavior, substance use, thought problems, and obsessive symptoms, but some of these issues are likely explained by cultural factors. A greater number of participants met the clinical threshold for multiple problems compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: This sample of AIs reported frequent experiences of discrimination. HT is a significant factor in the lives of many urban AIs who also have significantly higher rates of a number of mental health problems. Providers must be aware of these issues to provide the most effective care to AIs.

P1560ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AMONG HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helaoui Fadwa
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Hemodialysis Patients ◽  
The Other ◽  
Male Predominance ◽  
Other Hand

Abstract Background and Aims Procedure of haemodialysis (HD) treatment is associated with an impaired quality of life in chronic kidney disease patients. It is due to changes in family, social and professional relationships. These changes can also lead to mental health problems. The purpose of our study is to determine the prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders in hemodialysis patients. Method Fifty chronic hemodialysis patients were enrolled in our cross-sectional study during four months (September -October- November- December 2019). The HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) survey was used to assess depressive and anxiolytic disorder in our hemodialysis population. Were excluded patients aged less than 18 yearsold as well as kidney transplant patients and psychiatric patients. Results The mean age of our patients was 49.5 range (24-79).The sex ratio was 1.27. The prevalence of anxiety syndrome was 40% with a female predominance of 54.5% versus 54,5%. Depressive syndrome was noted in 48% of our patients with a male predominance of 58.3% versus 41,7%. 48% of our HD patients have shown depression in various degrees. It was about mild depression of 20,8% of pts, moderate depression of 41,6% of pts and severe depression of 37,5% of pts. Somatic symptoms of depression in our population were respectively noted in 52,8% of loss of energy, 57,5% fatigue, 63,4% sleep disturbances, and 38,5% changes in appetite. The most common psychological symptoms were: pessimism (79,1%), loss of interest in appearance (41,6%), psychomotor retardation (75%). On the other hand, 37, 5% of patients felt cheerful and 16,6% still enjoy doing some activities. For patients with anxiety syndrom, we noted: concentration disturbance (45,4%), palpitations (50%), abdominal pain (59,09%) and headache (81,8%). With regard to psychological symptoms, the most emphasized were: sudden feelings of panic (54,5%), worrying thoughts (72,7%),77,2% are feeling restless and 59,09% are feeling wound up. On the other hand, 68,1% feel relaxed especially after the hemodialysis session. It seems that gender, marital status and HD duration did not influence significantly in occurrence of depression with respectively (p=0,08, p=0.1 and p= 0.08). Older patients were significantly more depressed in compared to younger patients (p= 0.003). Unemployed patients were significantly more depressed in relation to employed patients(p=0.01). Finally, as the educational level of patients increased, level of depression significantly decreased (p=0,04). Conclusion Depression is the most frequent psychological complication of hemodialysis (HD) patients. Our results showed a high prevalence of depressive symptoms among the study group. The exact prevalence of depression in dialysis patients is unclear because of different criteria utilized for diagnosis of depression. A close collaboration between nephrologists and psychiatrists is needed to ensure a better quality of life in HD patients.

Oncologists’ Treatment Responses to Mental Health Distress in Their Cancer Patients

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (11) ◽  
pp. 1735-1745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leeat Granek ◽  
Ora Nakash ◽  
Merav Ben-David ◽  
Shahar Shapira ◽  
Samuel Ariad
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Grounded Theory Method ◽  
Health Distress ◽  
Included Patient ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Mental Health Distress

The objectives of this study were to identify how oncologists respond to mental health distress in their patients, what specific strategies they use in treating this distress, and what barriers they report responding to their patients’ emotional distress. Twenty-three oncologists at two cancer centers were interviewed. The grounded theory method of data collection and analysis was used. Oncologists varied in their response to patients’ emotional distress. Strategies used in responding to patients’ distress included creating supportive relationships and prescribing medications, while barriers included patient reluctance, a lack of protocol on how to respond to patients, limited psychosocial resources, and a lack of time. Developing and adopting clear guidelines to addressing mental health distress among cancer patients is critical in assuring quality care for the whole patient and reduce the risk for poor quality of life and potential disease-related morbidity and mortality.

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