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Correlates of depressed mood in ambulatory head and neck cancer patients
Author(s) -
Kugaya Akira,
Akechi Tatsuo,
Okamura Hitoshi,
Mikami Ichiro,
Uchitomi Yosuke
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
psycho‐oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.41
H-Index - 137
eISSN - 1099-1611
pISSN - 1057-9249
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1611(199911/12)8:6<494::aid-pon403>3.0.co;2-m
Subject(s) - psychosocial , head and neck cancer , mood , disfigurement , population , distress , medicine , coping (psychology) , ambulatory , clinical psychology , cancer , psychiatry , surgery , environmental health
High levels of psychological distress, especially depressed mood, has been discussed in relation to head and neck cancer. Patients with head and neck cancer face functional impairment and disfigurement caused by cancer and/or its treatment. Psychosocial factors that predict depressed mood in this population have not been well elucidated. The aim of this study is to examine the psychosocial and medical risk factors for depressed mood in ambulatory head and neck cancer patients. Depressed mood and coping style were assessed with the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scales, respectively, in 99 ambulatory head and neck cancer patients. Simultaneously, patients’ social support and satisfaction with it, and sociodemographic and medical data were obtained. Multiple regression analysis revealed that advanced disease, being unmarried, and helpless/hopeless coping were significantly associated with depressed mood. The results suggest that we should identify these factors and target psychosocial intervention for those patients most at risk. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.