The relationship between quality of life and levels of hopelessness and depression in palliative care

Abstract

There is growing interest in the psychological distress and quality of life of cancer patients. The aim of this study was to compare the responses of 102 advanced cancer patients on a quality of life scale (as measured by the SF12) with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), as well as the impact of depression and hopelessness on quality of life. Significant associations were found between gender (P=.027), performance status (P=.003), opioids (P=.002), depression (P<.0005), and hopelessness (P<.0005) with the SF12-Mental Component Score (MCS). Gender (P=.07), metastasis (P=.001), opioids (P=.0005), and education (P=.045) correlated significantly with SF12-Physical Component Score (PCS). In the prediction of MCS, the dimensions of age, hopelessness, gender, and performance status were statistically significantly high (P<.0005), explaining 48% of variance. For PCS, the predictor variables were education, metastasis, and opioids (25% of variance). Quality of life, in this patient population, was predicted by the level of hopelessness and patients' demographic and clinical characteristics.

Hopelessness and Related Variables Among Cancer Patients in the Southern European Psycho-Oncology Study (SEPOS)

“…This underscores the need to consider the patient's subjective experience of his or her well-being and functional status in all phases of illness, and not only in advanced or terminal cancer, where poor well-being is, in fact, associated with hopelessness, depression, suicidal ideation, and poor quality of life. 14,39 Interestingly, no other psychosocial variables, even previous psychiatric episodes, stressful events in the last year, or spiritual beliefs, were related to hopelessness. Likewise, medical variables, such as stage and site of cancer or type of treatment, did not appear to influence hopelessness, although breast cancer patients reported lower scores than patients with other types of cancer.…”

Understanding Hopelessness among Community-Dwelling Chinese Older Adults in the Greater Chicago Area

“…In addition, hopelessness may be attributed to the high level of fatalism heavily influenced by Chinese cultural doctrines. Previous studies demonstrate that Chinese older adults often possess a sense of fatalism for illness prevention and intervention, and that the sentiment that the lack of control of life and death may predominantly prevent Chinese older adults from seeking timely treatment and medical compliance [27]. In a population-based study of Chinese population in Hong Kong, about 20% of suicidal ideation and attempts was attributable to hopelessness [12].…”

Refining the Assessment of Hopelessness: An Improved Way to Look to the Future

“…Internal consistency has ranged from .80 (Gencoz et al, 2007) to .88 (Steed, 2001) in college students. Adequate test-retest reliability was established in university undergraduates (r ¼ .85, Holden & Fekken, 1988) and medical patients (r ¼ .78, Mystakidou et al, 2008). Item analysis has demonstrated concerns about the validity of items 4, 5, 8, and 13 (Young et al, 1992).…”