Depression and hopelessness in Turkish patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to determine the levels of depression and hopelessness of patients receiving chemotherapy. Through knowledge of the levels of hopelessness and depression in such patients, this study could contribute to the planning of nursing interventions. Methods: The study involved 101 patients with cancer who presented to the outpatient unit of a medical oncology clinic to receive outpatient chemotherapy between January and March 2006. Data on the patients' sociodemographic features, as well as their scores on the Beck Hopelessness Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory, were obtained. Results:The patients' mean total depression score was 16.0 Ϯ 8.3 and their mean hopelessness score was 6.9 Ϯ 3.4. There was a statistically significant positive relationship between depression and hopelessness. Conclusion:The results indicated that depression and hopelessness were strongly and positively correlated.

Social Support and Hopelessness in Patients with Breast Cancer

“…Gürsel Öztunç 1 , Pınar Yeşil 1 *, Semra Paydaş 2 , Semra Erdoğan 3 treatment process (Çam and Gümüş 2006;Gümüş, 2006, Liao et al, 2007Güner, 2008;Arslan et al, 2009;Brothers and Andersen, 2009;Çam et al, 2009).…”

“…In the presence of a disease, it prevents the feeling of desperation and helplessness as well as helping patients to feel better and maintain the cancer treatment. A strong feeling of hopelessness is known to have the potential to cause new cancer to emerge and to die because of the illness (Öz, 2004;Kelleci, 2005;Fadıloğlı et al, 2006;Arslan et al, 2009). Hope, when used as a method of struggle, is helpful in decreasing the stress caused by cancer.…”

Effects of a mind map‐based life review programme on psychospiritual well‐being in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: A randomised controlled trial

“…The prevalence of psychological distress in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy ranges from 51% to 71.5% (Liu et al, ; Zainal, Hui, Hang, & Bustam, ). Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy encounter a mild level of hopelessness (Arslan, Celebioglu, & Tezel, ), difficulty in transcending their predicament (Henoch & Danielson, ) and a low level of meaning in life (Gao, ). Unrelieved psychospiritual distress may result in suboptimal treatment adherence, poorer health outcomes and even an increased suicide rate (Turaga, Malafa, Jacobsen, Schell, & Sarr, ).…”

The Perceived Threat in Adults with Leukemia Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

“…The perceived threat was the main extracted conception of data, which effected the patients' reaction towards the new condition. Diagnosis of cancer always creates stress (18) and can lead to serious psychological problems in a person (2). Although some diseases such as leukemia and their treatments are a threat for the patient's life, there are more psychological reactions depending on the patient's perception of the disease than the actual nature of the disease itself (19).…”

“…Complications of cancer may lead to hopelessness, unbearable pains, fear and even death (2). One of the most frequent cancers is leukemia which had appeared in 12.5 individuals among every 100,000 people in 2011 (3).…”