OBJECTIVE: To assess prevalence rates of anxiety disorder and depression in patients and their spouses treated in a cancer outpatient clinic of a university hospital. Also the distress-thermometer (DT) was tested as a screening instrument for anxiety disorders and depression. METHOD: 109 patients with different cancer types of different stages as well as their 109 spouses were assessed by questionnaires. RESULTS: In the patient sample anxiety levels were increased in 24.7% and in 20.2% for depression. In spouses anxiety levels were increased in 41.0% and in 21.6% for depression. Female spouses had higher anxiety levels than male spouses (p < 0.01); increased anxiety levels were found in 48% of the female spouses. In the patients sample the distress-thermometer has good values for sensitivity [0.93 (anxiety); 0.82 (depression)] and satisfying measures of specifity [0.68 (anxiety); 0.62 (depression)]. CONCLUSION: Female spouses of cancer patients are at increased risk for psychiatric morbidity, a fact that should be considered in future oncological care. The distress-thermometer is a simple, time saving and sensitive screening instrument to assess psychiatric morbidity in cancer patients, which can be recommended for clinical use.
OBJECTIVE: To assess prevalence rates of anxiety disorder and depression in patients and their spouses treated in a canceroutpatient clinic of a university hospital. Also the distress-thermometer (DT) was tested as a screening instrument for anxiety disorders and depression. METHOD: 109 patients with different cancer types of different stages as well as their 109 spouses were assessed by questionnaires. RESULTS: In the patient sample anxiety levels were increased in 24.7% and in 20.2% for depression. In spouses anxiety levels were increased in 41.0% and in 21.6% for depression. Female spouses had higher anxiety levels than male spouses (p < 0.01); increased anxiety levels were found in 48% of the female spouses. In the patients sample the distress-thermometer has good values for sensitivity [0.93 (anxiety); 0.82 (depression)] and satisfying measures of specifity [0.68 (anxiety); 0.62 (depression)]. CONCLUSION: Female spouses of cancerpatients are at increased risk for psychiatric morbidity, a fact that should be considered in future oncological care. The distress-thermometer is a simple, time saving and sensitive screening instrument to assess psychiatric morbidity in cancerpatients, which can be recommended for clinical use.
Authors: N Ernstmann; M Neumann; O Ommen; M Galushko; M Wirtz; R Voltz; M Hallek; H Pfaff Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2009-03-13 Impact factor: 3.603