The clinical utility of a comprehensive psychosomatic assessment in the program for colorectal cancer prevention: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Few studies have investigated psychosocial characteristics and lifestyle behaviors of participants at programs for secondary prevention of colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aimed, through a comprehensive psychosomatic assessment based on clinimetric principles, to evaluate psychosocial characteristics and lifestyle behaviors in participants at CRC secondary prevention program, and to investigate the associations between these variables and endoscopic outcomes. In this cross-sectional study, the first 150 consecutive asymptomatic participants at the CRC prevention program who resulted positive to fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and were thus referred to colonoscopy, underwent a psychosomatic assessment including psychiatric diagnoses (DSM-5), psychosomatic syndromes (DCPR-R), psychological distress, psychological well-being and lifestyle behaviors. Whereas only 5.3% of the sample showed at least one DSM-5 diagnosis, 51.3% showed at least one DCPR syndrome, such as allostatic overload, alexithymia, Type A behavior, and demoralization. Patients affected by psychosomatic syndromes presented with significantly higher psychological distress, lower psychological well-being and unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, such as tobacco smoking and unhealthy diet, in comparison with patients without DCPR syndromes. Among endoscopic outcomes, the presence of adenomas was significantly associated with DCPR irritable mood. In a clinical context of secondary prevention addressing asymptomatic patients with positive FOBT, a comprehensive psychosomatic assessment may provide relevant clinical information for those patients who present certain psychosomatic syndromes associated with high psychological distress, impaired psychological well-being, unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and colorectal precancerous lesions. The results of the present study indicate a road to the practice of “preventive” medicine at CRC screening program.

Comprehensive Retrospective Analysis of Colorectal Cancer Incidence Patterns in Saudi Arabia

“…Between 1999 and 2018, Saudi Arabia's HDI value increased by 22.8% [37]. The CRC incidence has been rising rapidly in nations going through a significant economic transformation and embracing a Western lifestyle [38].…”

An innovative approach to the assessment of mood disturbances in patients with acute coronary syndrome

“…CNS Spectrums These findings provide further support to the incremental validity of the DCPR system in medical settings. 22,31 Figure 1 illustrates the comprehensive assessment of mood disturbances that was performed in the present study on ACS patients. Our findings suggest a substantial overlap between depression and demoralization, as reported also in previous studies of medically ill patients, 32,33 even though depressed patients do not necessarily meet also the criteria for demoralization, and an important proportion of patients with demoralization do not meet diagnostic criteria for depression.…”

Efficacy of group biofeedback treatment on hyperemesis gravidarum with psychosomatic symptoms diagnosed with the revised version of Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research (DCPR-R): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

“…Both allostatic overload and hypochondriasis can be assessed by specific clinimetric criteria26 27 that underwent validation 27–29. The use of DCPR was reported to be useful and reliable in the assessment and description of psychosomatic distress in general, medical and psychiatric populations, showing excellent inter-rater reliability, construct validity and predictive validity for psychosocial functioning and treatment outcome 30–32. Skip instructions are provided and some questions do not need to be asked.…”