TITLE:
Assessment of Anxiety, Depression, Stress and Holistic Needs of Lung Cancer Patients That Undergo Oncology Treatments during the COVID-19 Pandemic
AUTHORS:
Frosyna Anagnosti, Dimitra Lekka, Georgia Hardavella, Dimitra Darahani, Fragkiski Anthouli-Anagnostopoulou, Petros Papagiorgis, Dimitrios Chaniotis, Evangeli Kantzoura, Irene Κarakasidou, Nikolaos Thalassinos
KEYWORDS:
Lung Cancer, Treatment, Distress, Stress, Anxiety, Depression
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.14 No.9,
September
26,
2023
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Lung cancer is associated with high morbidity and mortality with
symptoms deriving from both the disease and its treatment, resulting in mental
disorders such as anxiety, stress and depression which have been aggravated amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Aim: This paper aims to investigate
the prevalence of anxiety, stress and depression among lung cancer patients
undergoing chemotherapy/immunotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as investigate the association of these mental disorders with the psychological distress experienced by
lung cancer patients. Material and Method: DASS-21 was used to assess the prevalence of
anxiety, depression and stress experienced by lung cancer patients, and
the Distress Thermometer was used to assess the level of their distress. Results: 160 lung cancer patients under treatment participated in the present study at
the Oncology Outpatients’ Clinic, “Sotiria” Athens’ Chest Diseases Hospital in Athens, Greece. The prevalence of depression
was 22%, of anxiety 35% and of stress 17.6%, with the majority experiencing
moderate levels (45.7%, 35.7% and 53.6% respectively). The total mean score of
DASS-21 was 21.0 ± 18.1 and its subscales mean scores were 9.7 ± 6.7 for
stress, 5.9 ± 6.6 for anxiety and 5.3 ± 6.4 for depression, with women having
significantly higher scores in all subscales compared to men (p = .018, .010 & .44 respectively).
The mean score of DT was 3.8 ± 2.5 and 62.5% of the patients had Practical
problems, 24.4% Family problems, 70.6% Emotional problems, 9.4% Spiritual
problems and 95% Physical Problems. The subscales of DASS-21 and DT were
positively correlated (p mptoms they exhibit and vice
versa. Emotional problems are a predictive factor for Stress (p = .001) and physical and emotional
problems for Anxiety (p = .009 &
.020 respectively). Conclusions: Lung cancer patients under treatment
during the COVID-19 pandemic are in need of a holistic approach so as to prevent or alleviate psychological and
distress symptoms, thus enhancing their quality of life.