Mental distress and need for psychosocial support in prostate cancer patients: An observational cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in German men and associated with various physical and psychosocial problems. This study investigated the association between mental distress and the subjective need for psychosocial support comparing subgroups of patients with different treatments and disease stages. Method We performed an observational, cross-sectional study including patients with four medical conditions: Active Surveillance, radical prostatectomy, biochemical relapse, metastasized disease. Mental distress (NCCN Distress-Thermometer), symptoms of depression and anxiety (PHQ-9, GAD-7), psychosocial needs and coping resources (self-designed questionnaire) were assessed. Results N = 130 patients were included. 33.3% showed distress, 16.5% symptoms of moderate depression and 13% symptoms of moderate anxiety. We found no significant differences between the four groups. An association was present between distress and wish for psychosocial support ( χ2 = 4.3; p < 0.05; ϕ = 0.19). Almost 90% lived with a partner, which represents a resource. Conclusions Prostate cancer patients showed low levels of mental distress, depression and anxiety with no difference in terms of disease stage and treatment modality. Therefore, careful psychosocial screening of all patients is essential to identify those in need for support. Distressed patients express a need for psychosocial support more often. Interpersonal relationships, most often wives and children, represent important coping resources.

Screening for Psychological Distress in Vietnamese Cancer Patients: An Evaluation of the Distress Thermometer

“…The concordance rate between the 3 screening tests was not reported. 22 In another study, Hegel demonstrated that ROC analyses showed that DT had stronger power compared to the PHQ‐9 for depression in cancer patients. The DT cutoff of 4 had a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 45% for depression screening.…”

What interventions affect the psychosocial burden experienced by prostate cancer patients undergoing active surveillance? A scoping review

“…After the full-text screening, 12 studies met all criteria and were included in the review [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]. This included nine quantitative [30-33, 35, 39-41], one qualitative [37], and two mixed method [34,36] papers.…”

“…The results of the quality appraisal are provided in Table 2. None of the 12 studies met all quality criteria, and only three met more than 80% of the quality criteria and were considered to be of high quality [30,34,40].…”

“…Five studies addressed the importance of coping and social support during AS [30,33,34,36,37]. A cross-sectional study conducted by Baba et al found that distressed patients undergoing AS have an elevated need for psychosocial support [30].…”

“…Five studies addressed the importance of coping and social support during AS [30,33,34,36,37]. A cross-sectional study conducted by Baba et al found that distressed patients undergoing AS have an elevated need for psychosocial support [30]. The systematic review conducted by McIntosh et al found that distress is caused by unmet emotional, psychological, and social support needs [36].…”