Supervisors info:
Χρήστος Χριστοδούλου, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ Αμάντα Ψυρρή, Επίκ. Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ Αθανασία Παπαδοπούλου, Διδάκτωρ, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
ABSTRACT
Introduction: According to World Health Organization, cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and accounted for 8.8 million deaths in 2015. Cancer disease creates a lot of stressful facts as well for the patients and their families as for the clinicians. Building a therapeutic relationship, patients feel trust, security and acceptance. These factors lead them to take decisions, participate to their therapy and to adapt better to the demands of the disease.
Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychological state of women with breast cancer such anxiety and depression, the consequences of the disease on the quality of life and the doctor- patient relationship.
Method: For this purpose, a quantitative research was conducted using questionnaire in a sample of 30 women with breast cancer under chemotherapy using the method of Judgement sampling. The research took place in the Hospital “ATTIKO”. All women completed six questionnaires. A questionnaire on demographics, a rating scale for anxiety and depression (HADS), two questionnaires evaluating the doctor –patient relationship (PPOS) and (THC), a questionnaire for quality of life with malignancy (EORTC-QLQ-C30) and a questionnaire for quality of life especially shaped for women with breast cancer (EORTC QLQ-BR23).
Results: According to the results of the research, the majority of women experience anxiety to a marginally abnormal or abnormal level. In addition to anxiety, this study concluded that 1/3 of women suffered from depression to a marginally abnormal or abnormal level. The women’s perceptions in this research were that caregivers focus more on the patient than the doctor or the illness. Interestingly, women felt that their doctor was close to them and is connected with them. Additionally it was found that women rated their general health at a moderate level. A similar assessment was made for their physical functioning, the function of their roles, their emotional functioning, cognitive functions and social functions. They rated the symptoms they feel at a low level, besides fatigue which they rated at moderate levels. Pain, shortness of breath, insomnia, financial difficulties and constipation fluctuated at low levels. They also rated at a very low level the nausea they feel, the loss of appetite and diarrhea. The analysis still revealed that women rated their sexual function to a satisfactory level and their body image and sexual pleasure at a moderate level. Still they evaluated their discomfort from hair loss at a moderate level. The correlation testing showed that stress and depression are associated with fatigue, insomnia and side effects from the systemic therapy rather than physical functioning, role functions, cognitive functions, emotional functions, body image and social functions. There is also a statistically significant positive correlation between general health and physical functioning, role functions, emotional functions, cognitive functions, social functions and body image.
Conclusion: Even though cancer disease is associated with anxiety and depression, women in this study did not evaluate negative their health and their quality of life generally. As the women’s perceptions in this research were that caregivers focus more on the patient than the doctor or the illness and as they also felt that their doctor was close to them and is connected with them come to a conclusion that the social support can help the patients strengthen in order to face the therapy and the side effects. The fact that women felt their doctor close to them may justify the way they assess their quality of life and their health in general. In conclusion, I consider that we need to investigate further the doctor-patient relationship in order to reduce the psychological factors associated with cancer and to improve the quality of life of patients.
Keywords:
Breast cancer, Chemotherapy, Anxiety, Depression, Quality of life, Doctor-patient relationship
