Distress and Spiritual Well-Being in Brazilian Patients Initiating Chemotherapy during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Social distancing and the priority given to COVID-19 patients in health services, which caused postponement of appointments and cancer treatment, may have triggered unprecedented levels of distress in cancer patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of distress and the levels of spiritual well-being of people initiating chemotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying the factors associated with distress, and determining if there is a relationship between distress and spiritual well-being. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 91 Brazilians. Data were collected by applying the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) and the Distress Thermometer and Problem List for Patients. The prevalence of distress was 59.5%, and the average score of spiritual well-being was 106.54 (±9.06). Emotional issues were the most reported by patients with distress. The Poisson regression showed that male sex (PR = 0.588; 95% CI 0.392–0.881), age (PR = 0.985; 95% CI 0.973–0.996), and spiritual well-being score were predictors of distress (PR = 0.971; 95% CI 0.946–0.996). These findings indicate that distress relief involves implementation of public health programs capable of integrating spiritual interventions into cancer care.

A study of COVID anxiety, spiritual well-being and resilience levels in patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study in the south of Iran

“…In the present study, there was not a statistically significant correlation between the variables of age, marital status, and education on the one hand and spiritual well-being on the other, which is consistent with the findings of other studies [ 21 , 33 ]. According to some studies, there is no correlation between spiritual well-being and the general variables of age, gender, race, stage of cancer, metastasis, medical insurance, marital status, religious tendencies, etc.…”

“…Most of the previous work on linkages between distress, resilience and spiritual well-being in patients undergoing chemotherapy during the COVID-19 Pandemic was conducted in developed countries and different cultural characteristics; these findings may not be generalizable to developing countries with different population characteristics [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. Moreover, the simultaneous examination of the relationship between the three variables of spiritual well-being, anxiety and resilience in patients under Chemotherapy has not yet been studied in Iran.…”

The prevalence of psychological disorders among cancer patients during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A meta‐analysis

“…A total of 27,590 cases were included, and the sample size of each study ranged from 14 to 6231 participants. As for risk of bias, 11, 24 , 27 , 29 , 31 , 34 , 37 , 38 , 40 , 47 , 50 , 56 14, 23 , 25 , 28 , 32 , 33 , 35 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 49 , 52 , 54 , 55 and 15 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 26 , 30 , 36 , 39 , 45 , 46 , 48 , 51 , 53 studies had high, unclear, and low risks, respectively (Table S6 ). Overall, the risk of bias for the included studies was relatively small, indicating moderate methodological quality.…”

Predictors of Anxiety, Depression, and Somatization: A Prospective Study of 1807 Cancer Patients Short title

“…Spirituality has been found to predict psychological distress in cancer patients during the Covid-19 pandemic, with higher spirituality associated with lower distress. Age and gender were also associated with psychological distress 35 . Previous research has corroborated the nding in our series that spiritual well-being is associated with mental well-being and less anxiety, depression, and somatization 36,37 .…”