Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
11-2021
Abstract
Context. Addressing symptoms of anxiety and depression is important in cancer palliative care. However, little information exists on the prevalence of anxiety and depression and mental health service use among advanced cancer patients in South Asia. Objectives. To examine among South Asian advanced cancer patients, the 1) prevalence of high anxiety and depression scores, 2) factors associated with high anxiety and depression scores, and 3) mental health service use. Methods. This cross-sectional, multi-site study recruited patients receiving oncology care across six major public hospitals in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Participants were adults, diagnosed with stage IV metastatic solid cancer and aware they had cancer. Participants’ high anxiety and depression scores (using clinically-relevant Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale threshold of >10), sociodemographic characteristics, patient-perceived cancer stigma and mental health service use were assessed. Results. In the overall sample (N = 1140), 54% met threshold for high anxiety and/or depression scores: 32% reported high anxiety scores and 47% reported high depression scores. Symptom burden (OR’s [95% CI’s] = 1.09-1.13 [1.05-1.09, 1.12-1.17]) and perceived stigma (1.11-1.16 [1.06-1.11, 1.16-1.22]) were statistically significantly associated with high anxiety and depression scores. Of the patients with high anxiety and/or depression scores (n = 617), 97% had not received mental health services, and 38% of them indicated they were open to a referral. Conclusion. High, clinically-relevant anxiety and depression scores are common among South Asian advanced cancer patients. Efforts should be made to alleviate psychological morbidity, including providing greater access to supportive/palliative medicine teams or mental health services.
Keywords
Anxiety, depression, mental health, palliative care, Asia, cross-sectional study
Discipline
Mental and Social Health
Publication
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
Volume
62
Issue
5
First Page
997
Last Page
1007
ISSN
0885-3924
Identifier
10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2021.04.005
Publisher
Elsevier
Citation
TEO, Irene, OZDEMIR, Semra, MALHOTRA, Chetna, YANG, Grace Meijuan, OCAMPO, Remee Rose Quintana, BHATNAGAR, Sushma, HAPUARACHCHI, Thushari, JOAD, Anjum Khan, MARIAM, Lubna, PALAT, Gayatri, RAHMAN, Rubayat, & FINKELSTEIN, Eric A..(2021). High anxiety and depression scores and mental health service use among South Asian advanced cancer patients: A multi-country study. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 62(5), 997-1007.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/4192
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2021.04.005
Comments
student pub