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Employment pathways and work‐related issues in head and neck cancer survivors
Author(s) -
Koch Robert,
Wittekindt Claus,
Altendorf–Hofmann Annelore,
Singer Susanne,
Guntinas–Lichius Orlando
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.23640
Subject(s) - psychosocial , survivorship curve , psychological intervention , medicine , head and neck cancer , mental health , clinical psychology , exploratory research , depression (economics) , cancer survivor , cancer , psychiatry , physical therapy , sociology , anthropology , economics , macroeconomics
Background In this exploratory study, employment and psychological factors were investigated in head and neck cancer survivors with survivorship of ≥2 years. Methods Fifty‐five head and neck cancer survivors ≤60 years old completed a survey including subscales from the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT) instrument, the Miller Behavioral Style Scale, the General Perceived Self‐Efficacy Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 (PHQ‐9), and the Hornheider–Fragebogen short version (HFB) measuring the need for psychological interventions. Exploratory analyses of associations to the employment status were performed. Results The rate of employed patients dropped from three‐fourths of patients before diagnosis to one‐third at an average of 66.8 months after diagnosis. Current unemployment was associated with harder physical work before cancer diagnosis, surgical treatment, and current risky alcohol consumption. Unemployed survivors reported decreased FACT functional and social well‐being and higher PHQ depression scores. Conclusion Psychosocial variables were significantly related to employment. Further research is needed to examine these relationships. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 37 : 585–593, 2015