Depression among elderly cancer patients

Abstract

IntroductionDepression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the elderly and its consequences are severe.AimsTo measure the prevalence of depression in elderly cancer patients and subsequently determine the sociodemographic and clinical factors correlated with this disorder.MethodsWe conducted a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study of patients aged over than 65 years old, suffering from cancer and who had no cognitive impairment, admitted in 2013 in the Oncology and palliative care unit of Gabes regional Hospital (Tunisia). We used a self-rating questionnaire to detect sociodemographics and clinical variables, the Geriatric depression scale (GDS) to assess depressive symptoms, and the Activity of Daily Living to determine the degree of autonomy.ResultsAt the end of our investigation, we included 60 patients. The prevalence of depression was 48%. Depression was significantly correlated with: marital status (widower subjects were more depressed (74% vs. 34%, P = 0.007)), less degree of autonomy (80% vs. 38%, P = 0.04), fatigue (62% vs. 26%, P = 0.007), pain (59% vs. 26%, P = 0.02), family psychiatric history (80% vs. 20%, P = 0.02), family history of death by cancer (72% vs. 38%, P = 0.01), WHO condition (67% vs. 34%, P = 0.04) and the presence of co morbidity in particularly diabetes (69% vs. 41%, P = 0.05).ConclusionDepression is prevalent in oncogeriatric environments. This could compromise quality of support and care of these patients. Close collaboration between oncologist and psychiatrist is needed to support and relieve these patients.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

The Relationship between Depressive Symptoms and Demographic-Medical Characteristics among Elder People with Cancer

“…In the present study, the widowed elder patients had the highest depression score, which agrees with the results reported by Ghanmi et al [30] It seems that living with the family is associated with a greater participation in social activities and a higher self-esteem.…”

“…In the present study, the individuals with chronic diseases had higher depression scores, and depression had a significant relationship with diabetes and respiratory diseases, which concur with the results reported by Ghanmi et al and Weiss Wiesel et al [530] In Nikbakht et al study, depression was significantly higher in patients with chronic diseases. [11] Physical disorders and their related symptoms have a direct effect on mental health.…”

“…The prevalence of depression among elder people with cancer was 71%, which was higher compared to the rates reported in other studies on elder people. In a study conducted by Ghanmi et al in Tunisia on 60 elder cancer patients, the prevalence of depression was 48% using the GDS,[30] and Heidarzadeh et al reported that the rate was 55% in 142 elder people with cancer in Tabriz, with 43% of the individuals having mild depression (Beck score of 11–21) and 12% had severe depression (Beck score ≥21). [13] Weiss Wiesel et al used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and found the prevalence of depression in 500 elder cancer patients in the US to be 12.5%.…”

Depression and social support among breast cancer patients in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

“…Pain was found to be significantly associated with depression, and as severity of pain increased the risk of having depression also increased among the current study participants. This finding is consistent with reports from studies conducted in Taiwan, Tunisia and Ethiopia [36, 43, 45]. This suggests that pain management is very crucial for breast cancer patients in the prevention of depression and other psychological co-morbidities.…”

“…Similar prevalence of depression was reported from studies conducted in Malaysia (22%), Iraq (24.7%), Iran (26.7%), Qatar (27.7%), India (28%) and Morocco (26.9%) [10,[31][32][33][34][35]. However, our finding is lower than a study conducted in Tunisia which reported the prevalence of depression among cancer patients to be 48%, the explanation for such big difference could be the inclusion of women only aged 65 and above, who are demographically at higher risk of depression [36]. Similarly, high prevalence of depression was reported from Turkey (46%) [37], South Africa (36.6%) [38], Mexico (43%) [39] and Nigeria 40.3% [28] using Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HADs) tool, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD) and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) for assessment of depression respectively.…”