The Relationship between Depressive Symptoms and Demographic-Medical Characteristics among Elder People with Cancer

Abstract

Objective: Cancer is one of the most common life-threatening diseases and a great source of stress in patients. The risk factors of depression differ in elder people compared to other age groups. The present study was designed to determine the relationship between depressive symptoms and demographic-medical characteristics among elder people with cancer. Methods: This cross-sectional correlational study recruited 200 elder people with cancer. The eligible patients completed the demographic-medical characteristics questionnaire, the Geriatric Depression Scale, the Abbreviated Mental Test, the Activities of Daily Living Scale, and the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale. The findings were analyzed in SPSS software version 21.0 using the Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests. Results: A total of 50% of the elder people in this study had mild depression, 18.5% had moderate depression, and 2.5% had severe depression. A significant relationship was observed between depression in the elder people and their marital status ( P = 0.025), living arrangement ( P = 0.013), and income ( P = 0.021). Depression also had a significant relationship with diabetes ( P = 0.044) and respiratory diseases ( P = 0.040). A significant relationship was also observed between depression and colon cancer ( P = 0.007), and the mean depression was lower in the patients with colon cancer compared to those with other cancers. Depression had a significant relationship with complications, including pain ( P = 0.001), nausea ( P < 0.001), vomiting ( P = 0.001), hair loss ( P < 0.001), and shortness of breath ( P = 0.028). Conclusions: Given the high prevalence of depression in this age group, screening and counseling-supportive interventions are recommended for helping prevent depression and come to terms with cancer.

Towards a Better Understanding of the Factors Associated with Distress in Elderly Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review

“…Oserowsky et al [46] also found that being married was inversely associated with a positive depression screening. The results presented by Ladaninejad et al [37] partially corroborated those mentioned above, that is, higher depression scores were observed among widowed patients, while lower scores were more common among single patients.…”

“…The type of cancer present in each sample was highly variable, with some studies selecting people with a specific diagnosis: hematological [ 28 ], gynecologic [ 30 ], non-Hodgkin´s lymphoma [ 26 ], colorectal [ 41 ], gastrointinal [ 45 ], and bladder [ 46 ]; and others including any type of cancer [ 27 , 29 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. Despite this variability, breast/gynecological, gastrointestinal, and colorectal cancers were the most represented, with 20.9%, 17.7% and 16.4%, respectively.…”

“…However, some studies included individuals who were diagnosed up to 5 years prior [ 28 ], while others included individuals diagnosed 5 years or more prior [ 36 , 38 ]. Some studies did not discriminate which phase of the disease the participant was in at the time of data collection [ 30 , 33 , 37 , 46 ].…”

“…The measures used to assess anxiety and depression were very heterogeneous. Regarding the measures used for depression, six studies used the geriatric depression scale (GDS) or a reduced version of it [ 32 , 34 , 37 , 43 , 44 , 45 ], three used the Veterans RAND 12-item Health Survey (VR-12) [ 30 , 41 , 46 ], three used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) [ 29 , 35 , 39 ] and two used the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) [ 36 , 38 ]. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) [ 28 ], Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) [ 26 ] and Edmonton Symptom Assessment System Revised (ESAS-r) [ 42 ] were three other measures used to assess depression.…”

Self-management behavior and fasting plasma glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus over 60 years old: multiple effects of social support on quality of life

“…The scale contains 12 items evaluating three dimensions of support: family (including parents, children, and spouse [items 3, 4, 8, and 11]); friends (items 6, 7, 9, and 12); and other important relations (including neighbors and doctors [items 1, 2, 5, and 10]). Each item was scored on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), with the total score ranging from 12 to 60 [ 63 ]. A higher score indicates better overall social support.…”