Social support, anxiety and depression after chemotherapy for ovarian cancer: A prospective study

Abstract

These data show for the first time that social support and intrusive thoughts, rather than physical parameters, are the principal determinants of psychological morbidity in patients with ovarian cancer.

Psychological distress and its correlates in ovarian cancer: a systematic review

“…Worse performance status was associated with increased levels of psychological distress in one good study [15] and one poor study [5], although one average study [21] found no relationship between Karnofsky performance status and levels of depression/anxiety. This suggests inconclusive evidence for a relationship between Karnofsky performance status and levels of psychological distress.…”

“…Levels of depression in ovarian cancer groups tended to be higher than in community samples, with percentages of those scoring above the clinical cut-off ranging from 21-25% in the good studies to 33% in the poor study [5] (though, interestingly, this study found that 23% of individuals experienced little or no distress). Notably, the prevalence of depression decreased after the 3-month period following completion of treatment [21], although it does not appear to differ across the first 6 weeks post-diagnosis [27]. However, it is important to note that studies involving patients who were at varying stages of their cancer journey found that approximately 25% of participants scored above the clinical cut-off, suggesting that depressive symptoms may remain a significant problem for some patients.…”

“…Being diagnosed with advanced stage disease was associated with increased levels of psychological distress in three good studies [3,16,25] and one poor study [5], although two average studies found no relationship between disease stage and levels of distress (Hipkins et al [21]; Stewart et al [28]ovarian cancer survivors). On the basis of these results, there is strong evidence that having advanced stage disease at diagnosis is associated with higher levels of psychological distress.…”

“…Hipkins et al [21] reported that the prevalence of clinical levels of anxiety was 47% 3 months after finishing treatment, and that anxiety increased from completion of treatment to a 3-month follow-up. Correlates of levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms are reported in Table 3.…”

“…One factor constantly associated with increased levels of distress in ovarian cancer patients included younger age, where evidence was found in five good studies [3,4,15,16,26] and one average study [21]. In contrast, one average study [28] found no relationship between age and depressive symptoms in ovarian cancer survivors, and one good study [25] found lower levels of distress in women under 45 years old.…”