Effect of depression, anxiety, and distress screeners on the need, intention, and utilization of psychosocial support services among cancer patients

Abstract

Purpose In clinical cancer care, distress screening is recommended to identify highly burdened patients in objective need for psychosocial support to improve psychological distress and quality of life and to enhance patient empowerment. It is however unclear whether distress screeners are suitable for psychosocial care planning and thus whether they can predict the willingness that is need, intention, and utilization, to seek psychosocial support. Methods In a secondary analysis of a cluster intervention study, we assessed cancer patients with three distress screeners (DT, PHQ-9, GAD-7) at baseline. The willingness to seek psychosocial support services was assessed binary for psychosocial services at 3 and 6 months. Logistic regression models were applied to examine the predictive effect of the screeners on need, intention, and utilization. We corrected all models for multiple testing. Results The 660 patients included in the study were on average 60 years, 54% were male. At the 3- and 6-month follow-up, 353 and 259 patients participated, respectively. The screeners were best in predicting the need for support (OR reaching up to 1.15, 1.20, and 1.22 for the PHQ-9, GAD-7, and DT respectively). The intention was predicted by the PHQ-9 and GAD-7, whereas utilization of psychosocial support services was not predicted by the screeners. Conclusion The three distress screeners might be useful in psychosocial care planning, as they are able to predict the need and to some degree the intention to seek psychosocial support. Future research needs to examine potential barriers and supporting factors that may explain utilization of psychosocial support. Trial registration The study was retrospectively registered (2/2021) at ClinicalTrials.gov (number: NCT04749056).

Falling off the screening grid—Predictors for postponed utilization of psycho‐oncological support in cancer patients and its implications for distress assessment and management

“…Data from our study revealed an increased likelihood of a subjective need, if the symptom burden measured by HSI, PHQ-8 and GAD-7 increases as well. This is in line with recent findings from Springer et al 31 who reported the prediction of need and intention for PO support through PHQ-and GAD-scores. Contrasting to this, indication of a subjective need was reported for patients who were not 11 or slightly distressed.…”

Factors associated with depressive symptoms among cancer patients: a nationwide cross-sectional study

“…The result showed that age, sex, race and marital status were strongly associated with depressive symptoms for patients with cancer, similar to the findings of previous studies [ 33 – 35 ]. Higher odds of depression symptoms among young unmarried female cancer patients may be because of lacking social support and family care [ 36 , 37 ], changes in physical appearance, and concerns about the future. Notably, prior research investigating the connection between income status and depression in cancer patients has produced inconsistent findings [ 12 ].…”

The Relationship between Supportive Care Needs and Health-Related Quality of Life in Cancer Patients

“…The results contribute to a deeper understanding of the health-related situation of cancer patients and provide starting points for providing more fine-tuned psychosocial care. Future research should consider the distinction between met and unmet needs, and the relationship between the reported needs and the real utilization of psychosocial support services [50].…”