Predictors of psychological distress and interest in mental health services in individuals with cancer

Abstract

OBJECTIVE Identifying risk factors for psychological distress in patients with cancer may help providers more efficiently screen, identify, and manage distress. The present paper presents predictors of psychological distress in a large heterogeneous sample of cancer patients. METHODS 836 patients were enrolled in a large RCT and completed computerized psychosocial assessments (MHADRO). RESULTS Multivariate regressions examined predictors of distress and interest in mental health services. Final models suggest that psychological distress was related to six variables and interest in mental health services was related to previous history of mental health counseling, total number of cancer related symptoms, and race/ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS Results may be used to identify high risk patients who may benefit from proactive psychosocial interventions.

Can Cancer Diagnosis Help in Quitting Tobacco? Barriers and Enablers to Tobacco Cessation Among Head and Neck Cancer Patients from a Tertiary Cancer Center in South india

“…It has been established that cancer patients experience severe psychological distress from the time of diagnosis to the completion of treatment. [26][27][28] As supported by the qualitative findings of this study, distress could be the reason for not being able to quit this habit. A majority of our patients reported a lower level of nicotine dependence and still found it difficult to quit.…”

The Extent of Psychosocial Distress among Immigrant and Non-Immigrant Homecare Nurses—A Comparative cross Sectional Survey

“…Older age was significantly related to psychosocial distress among non-immigrant nurses but not among immigrant nurses, whereas the relationship was negative but not significant. Various studies have reported that the correlation between age and psychosocial stress can either be positive [64][65][66] or negative [67][68][69]. Responsibilities, such as caring for family members or having financial liabilities, like paying off loans, explain higher levels of stress among younger people [64].…”

“…Various studies have reported that the correlation between age and psychosocial stress can either be positive [64][65][66] or negative [67][68][69]. Responsibilities, such as caring for family members or having financial liabilities, like paying off loans, explain higher levels of stress among younger people [64]. On the other hand, prolonged life expectancy can be related to facing more health-related stressors, thus leading to higher levels of perceived stress [70,71].…”

Clinical management of lung cancer patients during the outbreak of COVID-19 epidemic

“…It is recommended high risk patients be identified for psychological morbidities and screening be improved to provide quick, cost effective psychological interventions via online platforms to manage symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 91 ]. In addition, considering the lack of time and resources for personalized screenings, We recommended programs such as Mental Health and Dynamic Referral for Oncology (MHADRO) to assist with screening for mental health problems for cancer patients [ 92 ]. Therefore, It is necessary to provide health services to cancer patients during COVID-19 pandemic, in order to prevent the predictable decline of cancer conditions, and prevent health system overload and health control crisis.…”