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Health and Well‐Being in Older Married Female Cancer Survivors
Author(s) -
Townsend Aloen L.,
Ishler Karen J.,
Bowman Karen F.,
Rose Julia Hannum,
Peak Nicole Juszczak
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02514.x
Subject(s) - medicine , survivorship curve , depression (economics) , marital status , demographics , national health interview survey , gerontology , depressive symptoms , ethnic group , health and retirement study , cancer , psychiatry , demography , anxiety , population , environmental health , sociology , anthropology , economics , macroeconomics
OBJECTIVES: To investigate differences between older married female cancer survivors and a matched comparison sample on physical health and on effects of health on depressive symptomatology. DESIGN AND SETTING: National survey data from the 1992 Health and Retirement Study. PARTICIPANTS: Married women who reported having been diagnosed with cancer (N=245) and married women who did not report a cancer diagnosis but who matched the survivors on age, race, and ethnicity (N=245). MEASUREMENTS: Outcome measure was depressive symptomatology (modified CES‐D). Predictors were multiple indicators of health and demographic characteristics. RESULTS: Cancer survivors reported significantly worse health on all indicators but not higher depressive symptomatology after health and demographics were controlled. Predictors of higher depression were fatigue, pain, and lower education. These effects did not differ between groups. CONCLUSION: Health impairment in cancer survivors highlights the need for ongoing follow‐up care. Survivorship was associated indirectly with higher depressive symptomatology through its relationship with health impairment.