Depression, Correlates of Depression, and Receipt of Depression Care Among Low-Income Women With Breast or Gynecologic Cancer

Abstract

Purpose-To assess the prevalence of depression among low-income, ethnic minority women with breast or gynecological cancer, receipt of antidepressant medications or counseling services, and correlates of depression.Patients and Methods-Study patients were 472 women receiving cancer care in an urban public medical center. Women had a primary diagnosis of breast (Stage 0-III) or gynecological cancer (FIGO 0-3B). A diagnostic depression screen and baseline questionnaire was administered prior to or during active treatment or during active follow-up. Self-report data was collected on receipt of depression treatment, use of supportive counseling, pain and receipt of pain medication, functional status and well-being, and perceived barriers to cancer care.Results-Twenty-four percent of women reported moderate to severe levels of depressive disorder, 30% of breast cancer patients and 17% of gynecological cancer patients. Only 12% of women meeting criteria for major depression reported currently receiving medications for depression and only 5% of women reported seeing a counselor or participating in a cancer support group. Neither cancer stage or treatment status was correlated with depression. Primary diagnosis of breast cancer, younger age, greater functional impairment, poorer social/family well-being, anxiety, comorbid arthritis, and fears about treatment side effects were correlated with depression.Conclusion-Findings indicate that depressive disorder among ethnic minority, low-income women with breast or gynecological cancer is prevalent and is correlated with pain, anxiety and health-related quality of life (HRQL). Because these women are unlikely to receive depression treatment or supportive counseling, there is a need for routine screening, evaluation and treatment in this population.

Quality of Life and Psychological Well-Being of Breast Cancer Survivors in Jordan

“…Monthly family income has been found by our study and other relevant studies as one of the main predictors of the psychological well-being scores Ell et al, 2005;Jassim and Whitford, 2013). Therefore, attention should be given to patients with a low income as they are at a higher risk for psychological impairment and anxiety secondary to breast cancer.…”

Prevalence of Major Depression in Patients With Breast Cancer

“…6,12,15,16 The variables studied in this article were selected from what the literature refers to as factors related to breast cancer and major depression. The results found support for the initial hypothesis, which admitted that the prevalence of major depression among women with breast cancer is similar to point prevalence found in community samples.…”

“…Risk factors for depression appear to be more related to the patient rather than to the cancer itself or its treatment. 6,12,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21] The hypothesis tested in this study is the prevalence of major depression in patients with breast cancer is similar to the community samples of around 5%. 7,[22][23][24] .…”

Prevalence and risk of depressive symptoms 3–4 months post-surgery in a nationwide cohort study of Danish women treated for early stage breast-cancer

“…Some studies only include patients with early stages of breast cancer [35,36], while others have investigated more advanced breast cancer [11,23,37]. Stage of disease and tumor grade have been reported inconsistently related to psychological problems in cancer and is generally uncorrelated with depression in breastcancer [38][39][40][41]. While breast conserving surgery has been found associated with better body image [42] and lower prevalence of depression [27], there is no clear indication that depression is associated with type of surgery [32,43,44].…”