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Posttraumatic stress disorder among cancer patients—Findings from a large and representative interview‐based study in Germany
Author(s) -
Esser Peter,
Glaesmer Heide,
Faller Hermann,
Koch Uwe,
Härter Martin,
Schulz Holger,
Wegscheider Karl,
Weis Joachim,
Mehnert Anja
Publication year - 2019
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.5079
Subject(s) - stressor , cancer , medicine , clinical psychology , posttraumatic stress , cidi , psychiatry , anxiety disorder , anxiety
Objective In order to optimize psycho‐oncologic care for patients with severe stressor‐related symptomatology, we aimed to provide (a) valid and generalizable prevalence rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in oncological patients and (b) the percentage of PTSD cases elicited by cancer‐related events. Methods This multi‐center study was based on a representative sample of patients across cancer types. A diagnostic interview (CIDI‐O) was used to assess PTSD according to DSM‐IV. We first describe type and frequency of potentially traumatic events (A1‐events) and the degree to which they meet the trauma criteria (A2‐events). Subsequently, we present adjusted prevalence rates of PTSD and explore the proportion of patients with cancer‐related PTSD. Results Four thousand twenty patients participated (response rate: 68 %), and 2141 completed the diagnostic interview; 1641 patients reported at least one A1‐event, of whom 16% (n = 257) reported cancer‐related events. Ninety‐one percent (n = 232) of theses cancer‐related events qualified as A2‐events. Across cancer types, the adjusted 4‐week prevalence of PTSD was 2.0% (95% CI, 1.5‐2.7); 9% (n = 5) of the 4‐week PTSD cases were cancer‐related. Conclusions Across cancer types and treatment settings, few cancer patients fulfilled diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Of those, a mere fraction was attributable to cancer‐related events. These robust findings should be taken into account in both research and practice to develop and provide adequate care for cancer patients with severe stressor‐related symptomatology.