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Psychological morbidity and health‐related quality of life in patients with differing awareness of cancer diagnosis: a cross‐sectional study
Author(s) -
Wang Dian Can,
Guo Chuan Bin,
Peng Xin,
Su Yan Jie
Publication year - 2014
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/pon.3512
Subject(s) - medicine , anxiety , quality of life (healthcare) , depression (economics) , cross sectional study , cancer , hospital anxiety and depression scale , disease , distress , psychiatry , clinical psychology , nursing , pathology , economics , macroeconomics
Objective Concealment of cancer diagnosis from patients is not rare worldwide and physicians in mainland China are in fact discouraged from disclosing a cancer diagnosis to cancer patients. Preventing worsened psychological morbidity is at the core of the argument for nondisclosure. The purpose of this study was to quantify anxiety, depression, and distress among patients with various degrees of awareness of their cancer diagnosis. Quality of life was also measured. Methods Using a cross‐sectional and blinded design, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale questionnaire, the Distress Thermometer, and the SF‐36 Health Survey were administered to 287 hospitalized patients with oral and maxillofacial tumors. Independently, the patients' awareness of disease was assessed with semistructured interviews. Results Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Distress Thermometer, and SF‐36 did not identify significant differences in scores among the hospitalized patients with various degrees of awareness of their cancer diagnosis: an awaiting diagnosis group, a concealed diagnosis group, and a disclosed diagnosis group. Conclusions Before surgery, inpatients who were hospitalized because of oral and maxillofacial tumors with various degrees of awareness of their cancer diagnosis had similar psychological morbidity and quality of life. Informing hospitalized cancer patients of their diagnosis before surgery may not deteriorate their psychiatric condition or their quality of life. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.