Associations between Quality of Life and Marital Status in Cancer Patients and Survivors

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of a number of variables on the improvements in quality of life of some 400 cancer patients who completed a brief, group program providing psychosocial support and training in coping skills. Method: The factors tested were: patient gender, age, marital status, religion, education level, diagnostic site, recurrence status, expectations of the course, previous experience in self-help techniques, and different group leaders. Three assessment instruments were used, the Profile of Mood States (POMS), the Functional Living Index for Cancer (FLIC), and the Stanford Inventory of Cancer Patient Adjustment (SICPA). Assessments were made at three time points. Results: The overall finding was that the program improved mood and enhanced quality of life for most cancer patients: there was no evidence that it was more or less effective for subgroups based on gender, marital status, religious orientation, education level, and previous experience with mental self-help techniques. It was also found that several different group leaders with widely varying experience facilitated similar improvements. However, there was a significant tendency for patients under fifty to improve more by the end of the program, than older patients, although this difference disappeared at the three month follow-up. In addition, patients with recurrent disease showed less improvement in quality of life than those with primary cancer. Conclusions: The beneficial effects on quality of life of a seven-session group psychoeducational program were seen across a wide range of categories of cancer patients. The generalizability and implications of these findings are briefly discussed.

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The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on the Psychological Distress of Breast Cancer Patients in Kolkata"

Financial Statistical Journal ◽

10.24294/fsj.v1i3.609 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Arunima Datta ◽

Rimi Sharma

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Marital Status ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Family Income ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Breast Cancer Patients

Background: Breast cancer patients experience a variety of psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression that affect their quality of life. The present study probed whether the socioeconomic status had any significance on psychological distress and quality of life of breast cancer patients in India. Method: This was a cross-sectional and observational study, conducted over 111 breast cancer patients in a tertiary cancer hospital, Kolkata. Subjects were eligible to participate and they were of over 23rd years of age and had a histologically confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer had no history of recurrence or metastasis, and had no previous psychological problems. Age, marital status, residence, education, occupation and family income were assesses for patients’ socio economic status. Psychological symptoms and quality of life were assessed by using validated tools. Means and standard deviations of each outcome were compared by socioeconomic status and multivariate linear regression models for evaluating the association between socioeconomic status, psychological distress and quality of lifeResults: The patient group was categorized into three groups based on their income level as follows: ≤500=27.9%), 500-1000=51.4% and high income = ≥1000=20.7%. A total of 111 breast cancer patients participated in the study; the mean age of participants was 49.7 (SE=1.31). After using multivariate logistic regression with fully adjusted models, the patients who were living alone had significantly higher level of depression and poor quality of life compared to those who are employed. Higher education and family income both positively associated with quality of life after adjusting for age, marital status and occupation. Conclusion: The findings revealed that the family income have a significant impact on the psychological distress of the cancer patients.

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