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- Title
Post-traumatic stress in head and neck cancer survivors and their partners.
- Authors
Moschopoulou, Elisavet; Bhui, Kamaldeep; Korszun, Ania; Hutchison, Iain
- Abstract
<bold>Purpose: </bold>Head and neck cancer (HNC) diagnosis and treatment are distressing and have immediate detrimental impacts on functioning and quality of life (QoL). Nevertheless, little is known about long-term psychosocial effects. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and correlates of clinical post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and subclinical post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in HNC patients surviving more than 2 years since treatment and in their partners.<bold>Methods: </bold>HNC survivors identified from the cancer registry of a London hospital and their partners completed measures of PTSS, depression and anxiety, fear of cancer recurrence, social support, appearance concerns and health-related QoL. Data regarding their clinical and demographic characteristics were also collected. Correlations, as well as linear and logistic regression coefficients, were calculated to estimate associations with PTSS scores.<bold>Results: </bold>In this analysis of 93 HNC survivors, at a mean of 6 years (SD = 4) after treatment, 33.4% reported PTSS and 11.8% met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Fear of cancer recurrence was independently associated with PTSS (p < .01). In subgroup analyses of patient-partner dyads, 15.4% of patients and 12.8% of partners reported PTSD, with a further 33.3% of patients and 25.7% of partners demonstrating PTSS. Patients' and partners' scores did not differ significantly (p > .05).<bold>Conclusions: </bold>This is the first examination of post-traumatic stress in survivors of HNC and shows that high levels of cancer-related PTSS exist for many years after diagnosis in both patients and their partners.
- Subjects
POST-traumatic stress disorder; HEAD &; neck cancer patients; CANCER patients -- Family relationships; CANCER patient psychology; DISEASE prevalence; QUALITY of life; FUNCTIONAL assessment; DIAGNOSIS of post-traumatic stress disorder; MENTAL health; HEAD tumors; NECK tumors; RESEARCH funding; DISEASE complications
- Publication
Supportive Care in Cancer, 2018, Vol 26, Issue 9, p3003
- ISSN
0941-4355
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1007/s00520-018-4146-9