Symptoms of depression and anxiety in cancer outpatients: predictive variables

Abstract

Objectives: The objectives of the present study are to investigate the association among symptoms of depression and anxiety, sociodemographic variables and personality factors and also verify the predictive power of these variables in cancer outpatients. Method: The sample was composed by 220 individuals, 138 (62.7%) women and 82 (37.3%) men. The instruments used were: Questionnaire on sociodemographic and clinical data; NEO-FFI Personality Inventory Revised (NEO-FFI-R) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The t test and the Spearman correlation were used to verify the relation between sociodemographic and clinic variables and symptoms of anxiety and depression. A Multiple Linear Regression analysis was made to verify the predictive power of sociodemographic and clinic variables and personality factors. Results: The personality factor neuroticism was predictor of anxiety symptoms. The variable previous psychiatric history and the personality factors neuroticism and extraversion were predictors of depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Depression and anxiety symptoms are associated with some sociodemographic variables and personality factors, and these variables can be deemed risk factors for the development of these symptoms. It is important that health professionals who follow-up this population design strategies to collect this information, in order to help patients manage treatment the best way possible.

Depresión, ansiedad y activación conductual en pacientes oncológicos mexicanos: comparaciones y factores predictores

“…En concordancia con lo anterior, en cuanto a los niveles de ansiedad y depresión se encontró que el 62.07% de los participantes reportó síntomas de ansiedad, mientras que el 56.03% síntomas de depresión según la escala HADS. En ambos casos las mujeres presentaron puntuaciones mayores, hallazgo que coincide con estudios realizados previamente, los cuales sugieren que ellas tienen un mayor riesgo de depresión que los hombres, especialmente durante los años reproductivos y más aun tras un diagnóstico positivo a cáncer 12,13 . Al contrastar estos datos con lo reportado en la literatura, resulta evidente que el porcentaje de pacientes con sintomatología ansioso-depresiva es equiparable y consistente considerando la etapa de enfermedad y las complicaciones socioeconómicas que conlleva padecer cáncer 10 .…”

“…Estudios realizados en población oncológica revelan que la ansiedad afecta alrededor del 10% de los pacientes con cáncer, mientras que la depresión al 20%, en contraste con la población en general 10 ; además, la presencia de ambas problemáticas oscila entre el 12.9 y 25.9%, siendo la población femenina la que con mayor frecuencia la reporta [11][12][13] . En cuanto a depresión se sabe que algunas de las variables predictoras son: tipo de cáncer (principalmente neoplasias que presentan síndromes paraneoplásicos y con liberación de citocinas); estadio clínico (se observa una mayor presencia de trastornos mentales en los pacientes más sintomáticos); tratamiento oncológico en curso (hace probable una mayor presencia de efectos secundarios); antecedentes de depresión (presencia de episodios depresivos recidivantes o sintomatología depresiva severa); dolor (sobre todo dolor crónico o no controlado); red social limitada (tamaño de la red social limitada o percepción de apoyo social poco funcional); estado funcional limitado (pérdida de la autonomía para realizar actividades de la vida cotidiana o de ocio) y edad (pacientes con menor edad son más propensos a sufrir depresión) 7 .…”

Fatores associados à depressão em pacientes oncológicos durante quimioterapia

“…Enfatiza-se variável significante quanto à presença de sintomas de depressão, devido às diferentes abordagens (pacientes diagnosticados (6,14) ou não clinicamente (4,(8)(9)15) ) e instrumentos utilizados, como IDB (3,5,8,(16)(17) , Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale ((7) , Escala de Depressão Geriátrica (9) , Escala Hospitalar de Ansiedade e Depressão (4,(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19) , Self-rating Depression Scale (20) .…”

“…Na comparação entre os sexos, estudos (4,9,14,18) encontraram que mulheres apresentaram escores maiores de depressão em relação aos homens, indo ao encontro deste estudo, porém sem significância estatística.…”

Depression, anxiety and behavioral activation in Mexican cancer patients: comparisons and predictive factors

“…Studies carried out in cancer populations reveal that anxiety affects around 10% of cancer patients, while depression affects 20%, in contrast with the general population 10 ; in addition, the presence of both problems ranges between 12.9 and 25.9%, with the female population reporting it most frequently [11][12][13] . As for depression, some of the predictors are known to be: cancer type (mainly neoplasms with paraneoplastic syndromes and cytokine release); clinical stage (a higher presence of mental disorders is observed in the most symptomatic patients); ongoing cancer treatment (makes for more side effects to be likely to occur); history of depression (presence of relapsing depressive episodes or severe depressive symptoms); pain (especially chronic or uncontrolled pain); limited social network (limited size of the social network or perception of poorly functional social support); limited functional status (loss of autonomy for carrying out activities of daily living or leisure); and age (younger patients are more prone to suffer from depression) 7 .…”