TITLE:
The relationship between psychological distress with salivary α-amylase and stress related symptoms among breast cancer survivors
AUTHORS:
H. W. Yong, H. Zailina, J. O. Zubaidah, M. Saidi, H. Y. Yong, M. S. Zalilah
KEYWORDS:
Breast Cancer Survivors; Salivary α-Amylase; Stress-Related Symptoms; Distress
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.5 No.4,
April
24,
2013
ABSTRACT: Background and Aims: This study examined the stress
levels, the stressors and biomarker such as Alpha (α)-Amylase enzyme which is secreted under distress conditions. The
aim was to determine the relationship between these three variables. Methods:
The study respondents were made up of cancer outpatients from 3 hospitals
namely the Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Seberang Jaya and Johor Baru, Pantai Ipoh and
Putrajaya. The Personal Stress Inventory (PSI) questionnaire was used to
identify stressors, while the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were
used to determine the psychological distress levels. The Salimentary Oral
Swab (SOS) Technique was used to collect the saliva and then the Salivary α-Amylase Assay Kit was used to analyse
for α amylase. Results: The majority
of respondents were stressed due to their sensitive emotion and nervousness
in their daily lives (68.7%), they had poor memory and short attention spans of
carrying out job tasks (67.3%) as well as they were emotionally depressed
(65.3%). Their poor memory and short attention span (p = 0.037), heavy work
load and poor task delivery (p = 0.008) were predictors for distress using
HADS. The salivary α-amylase concentration was significantly related to the stress levels (p = 0.002). Conclusion:
Breast cancer respondents with
musculoskeletal system related symptoms, with heavy work load and poor
task delivery, as well as had poor memory and short attention span were at
higher risk of experiencing psychological distress. The salivary α-amylase which had significant
relationships with psychological distress was therefore, a potential
biological indicator for distress, while the musculoskeletal system related
symptoms from the PSI questionnaire were predictors for distress.