1 research outputs found
Anxiety and depression in patients with haematological neoplasms in Malaysia
ABSTRACT
Background: It is not uncommon that anxiety and
depression occur in patients with cancers, and past
researches have shown that the quality of life of patients is negatively affected. This study aims to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression of patients with haematological cancers in Malaysia and to investigate the possible association of these psychological symptoms with their quality of life.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study where patients with haematological cancers attending two major hospitals were recruited. Anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS). Quality of life (QoL) of these patients was measured using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire (E ORTC QLQ C30). An overall summary QoL score in combination with financial difficulty score and global health score were used for analysis.
Results: A total of 319 patients were recruited. Thirty-three percent of patients had anxiety symptoms, 23.5% had
depression symptoms. In summary the overall score of QoL
is significantly lower in patients with higher scores for
depression and anxiety, (p<0.05). Patients who exhibit
anxiety symptoms were more frequently female, still
undergoing treatment whereas patients who had higher
depression scores were older and had acute leukemias or
myeloproliferative neoplasms. Patients who have
depression are significantly associated with a higher
financial difficulty score, p<0.05.
Conclusion: The poor quality of life in patients who have
anxiety and depression should raise awareness amongst the
health professions treating them so that additional support can be provided