0000000000060137
AUTHOR
Hermann Faller
Utilization of professional psychological care in a large German sample of cancer patients
Objective Although one-third of cancer patients are perceived to have a need for psychological support based on the percentage of mental disorders, little is known about the actual utilization of psychological care in cancer. We aimed to assess cancer patients' reported use of psychological care and its correlates in a large, representative sample. Methods In a multicenter, cross-sectional study in Germany, 4020 cancer patients (mean age 58 years, 51% women) were evaluated. We obtained self-reports of use of psychotherapy and psychological counseling. We measured distress with the Distress Thermometer, symptoms of depression with the Patient Health Questionnaire, anxiety with the Generalize…
Cancer patients’ preferred and perceived level of involvement in treatment decision-making: an epidemiological study
Background: We aimed to analyze preferred and perceived levels of patients’ involvement in treatment decision-making in a representative sample of cancer patients. Material and Methods: We conducted a multicenter, epidemiological cross-sectional study with a stratified random sample based on the incidence of cancer diagnoses in Germany. Data were collected between January 2008 and December 2010. Analyses were undertaken between 2017 and 2019. We included 5889 adult cancer patients across all cancer entities and disease stages from 30 acute care hospitals, outpatient facilities, and cancer rehabilitation clinics in five regions in Germany. We used the Control Preferences Scale to assess the …
Performance status and depressive symptoms as predictors of quality of life in cancer patients. A structural equation modeling analysis
Objective: This study aimed to examine whether depressive symptoms and performance status are independent predictors of both the physical and psychological domains of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in cancer patients. Methods: A sample of 4020 cancer patients (mean age 58 years, 51% women) was evaluated. Depressive symptoms were measured with the patient health questionnaire and HRQoL with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire core 30. The impact of the illness on everyday activities was assessed with physician ratings of both the Karnofsky performance status and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status. The sim…
Age and gender differences in anxiety and depression in cancer patients compared with the general population.
Objective The aim of this study was to compare the levels of anxiety and depression in cancer patients with those of the general population, to examine age and gender differences in anxiety and depression, to analyse the impact of several socio-demographic and clinical parameters on anxiety and depression, and to test the age and gender measurement invariance of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Methods A sample of 3,785 German patients with cancer and a sample of 2,747 people of the German general population were examined using the HADS. Results Patients with cancer were more anxious but slightly less depressed than age- and gender-matched individuals of the general populat…
Cancer patients’ preferred and perceived level of involvement in treatment decision-making: an epidemiological study
Background: We aimed to analyze preferred and perceived levels of patients’ involvement in treatment decision-making in a representative sample of cancer patients.Material and Methods: We conducted...