Depressive symptoms during adverse economic and political circumstances: A comparative study on Greek female breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy treatment

Pelekasis, Panagiotis; Kampoli, Katerina; Ntavatzikos, Anastasios; Charoni, A; Tsionou, Christina; Koumarianou, Anna

doi:10.1111/ecc.12687

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…The absence of differences could be attributed to mechanisms activated during societal threat in collective-oriented societies, such as Greece. More specifically, during the 2015 capital controls, a study in breast cancer patients found that depressive symptoms were queerly lower during that period of economic and political destabilization, a finding that could be attributed to an increase of social support toward the vulnerable during the general societal threat (Pelekasis et al, 2017). Similar mechanisms could have been activated during the current crisis, leading to higher support toward patients with chronic diseases, and positive effects on depressive levels, leading to the absence of differences from healthy individuals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health in chronic disease patients during the COVID-19 quarantine in Greece

et al. 2020

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Objective To investigate the effect of the time spent on quarantine on distress, anxiety, depression, and somatization of chronic disease patients during the COVID-19 quarantine in Greece and the differences in these parameters between healthy individuals and chronic disease patients. Method The sample consisted of 943 healthy individuals and 163 patients (respiratory, autoimmune, cardiovascular, endocrine, patients with other diseases, and patients with more than one disease) completing sociodemographic assessments as well as the 4-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire (4DSQ) during March 30, 2020 to May 3, 2020. Pearson's correlation was used to search for the association between time spent on quarantine and the 4DSQ subscales (distress, anxiety, depression, and somatization). Independent sample T-test and Glass's Δ were used for differences between healthy individuals and chronic disease patients in these subscales, an analysis also carried out between healthy individuals and all patient subgroups. Results No statistically significant correlations were noted between the 4DSQ subscales and the quarantine duration, both for the patient and the healthy individuals’ group. Chronic disease patients had significantly higher levels of distress (p = 0.001, Δ = 0.28) and somatization (p = 0.000, Δ = 0.47), but not there were no significant differences in anxiety (p = 0.098, Δ = 0.14) and depression (p = 0.052, Δ = 0.19). Concerning head-to-head comparisons between the healthy individuals’ group and each patient group, significantly higher scores in distress were found only for patients with respiratory diseases (p = 0.028, Δ = 0.42). Regarding somatization, significantly higher scores were noted for the healthy individuals’ group compared with patients with autoimmune diseases (p = 0.010, Δ = 0.62), respiratory diseases (p = 0.027, Δ = 0.42), other diseases (p = 0.003, Δ = 0.55), and more than one disease (p = 0.012, Δ = 0.60). No statistically significant differences were found in anxiety and depression. Significance of results The results of this study indicate that interventional programs for chronic disease patients during quarantine should focus on distress and somatization, not on anxiety and depression. Respiratory patients might have more supportive care needs compared with patients with other diseases.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health in chronic disease patients during the COVID-19 quarantine in Greece

et al. 2020

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“…Men appear to be a particularly vulnerable group with multiple studies finding a more robust relationship between depression and unemployment for men than women [ 22 , 23 , 31 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ]. Job insecurity has also been associated with increased odds of depression/depressive symptoms 1.3–1.86 times in Europe, the United Kingdom (UK), the USA, or a 33.5% increase in depressive symptoms [ 23 , 41 , 42 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Economic Recessions on Depression, Anxiety, and Trauma-Related Disorders and Illness Outcomes—A Scoping Review

Guerra

Eboreime

2021

Behavioral Sciences

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In the wake of a global economic recession secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic, this scoping review seeks to summarize the current quantitative research on the impact of economic recessions on depression, anxiety, traumatic disorders, self-harm, and suicide. Seven research databases (PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science: Core Collection, National Library of Medicine PubMed, PubMed Central, and Google Scholar) were searched for keywords returning 3412 preliminary results published since 2008 in Organisation for Economic Coordination and Development (OECD)nations. These were screened by both authors for inclusion/exclusion criteria resulting in 127 included articles. Articles included were quantitative studies in OECD countries assessing select mental disorders (depression, anxiety, and trauma-/stress-related disorders) and illness outcomes (self-harm and suicide) during periods of economic recession. Articles were limited to publication from 2008 to 2020, available online in English, and utilizing outcome measures specific to the disorders and outcomes specified above. A significant relationship was found between periods of economic recession and increased depressive symptoms, self-harming behaviour, and suicide during and following periods of recession. Results suggest that existing models for mental health support and strategies for suicide prevention may be less effective than they are in non-recession times. It may be prudent to focus public education and medical treatments on raising awareness and access to supports for populations at higher risk, including those vulnerable to the impacts of job or income loss due to low socioeconomic status preceding the recession or high levels of financial strain, those supporting others financially, approaching retirement, and those in countries with limited social safety nets. Policy makers should be aware of the potential protective nature of unemployment safeguards and labour program investment in mitigating these negative impacts. Limited or inconclusive data were found on the relationship with traumatic disorders and symptoms of anxiety. In addition, research has focused primarily on the working-age adult population with limited data available on children, adolescents, and older adults, leaving room for further research in these areas.

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“…Indeed, all studies were conducted either in Europe or North America. The cultural factor is undoubtedly linked to representations of femininity (30), and the mental health of women with breast cancer is a direct function of the factors and dynamics of the social and cultural environment (31). Indeed, in some regions of the world, such as the Middle East and North Africa, the patriarchal dynamics of local societies impose an additional psychological burden on women with breast cancer (32), leading to significant barriers to accessing reconstruction (33).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the Difference in Quality of Life Between Immediate and Delayed Breast Cancer Reconstruction: A Systematic Review

TSANTAKIS,

DIMITROULIS,

KONTZOGLOU

et al. 2024

CDP

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Background/Aim: Immediate and delayed breast reconstruction remains a controversial topic. Apart from the clinical outcomes that have to be considered, there is a discrepancy of opinions regarding the potential differences in quality of life. It is essential to clarify this issue, in order to contribute to the reconstruction of the decision-making process. The aim of the study was to investigate potential differences in quality of life between immediate and delayed breast reconstruction patients. Materials and Methods: A systematic review of the literature was carried out, searching for case-control studies that have comparatively examined the effects of delayed and immediate reconstruction on quality of life. A literature search was carried out using the Medline, Scopus and Web of Science databases. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the STROBE checklist for case-control studies. Results: Three studies were found showing that immediate reconstruction led to benefits for the quality of life of patients, while one study showed the opposite. A relevant study revealed no statistically significant differences between the two groups, while another study, showed that immediate reconstruction entailed short-term benefits to quality of life. Four of the studies had debatable methodological approaches. Conclusion: The inconsistent study findings cannot lead to any reliable conclusions regarding differences between immediate and delayed reconstruction in quality of life. It is possible that the results vary due to the time point that the comparisons made. Future research to this direction is warranted.

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Depressive symptoms during adverse economic and political circumstances: A comparative study on Greek female breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy treatment

Cited by 5 publications

References 30 publications

Mental health in chronic disease patients during the COVID-19 quarantine in Greece

Mental health in chronic disease patients during the COVID-19 quarantine in Greece

The Impact of Economic Recessions on Depression, Anxiety, and Trauma-Related Disorders and Illness Outcomes—A Scoping Review

Investigating the Difference in Quality of Life Between Immediate and Delayed Breast Cancer Reconstruction: A Systematic Review

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