2 research outputs found
Symptoms of Acute Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Prostate Cancer Patients Following Radical Prostatectomy
Psychological morbidity is increasingly reported in cancer survivors.
The authors’ objective was to determine the presence of acute
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in prostate cancer (PC)
patients following radical prostatectomy. Fifteen patients who underwent
radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer were assessed for
the presence of PTSD-related symptoms by completing the Davidson Trauma
Scale (DTS), a month following the procedure. A group of 20 patients who
underwent surgery for benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) served as the
control group. PTSD total scores were significantly higher in PC
patients when compared with BPH patients, whose PTSD scores did not
differ from those reported in the general population (32.6 +/- 18.5 vs.
11.3 +/- 9.7, p = .001). PTSD did not vary among PC patients when
adjusted for educational status. PTSD symptoms are common among patients
undergoing radical prostatectomy and independent of their educational
level. Research investigating these aspects of posttreatment
psychological adjustment is needed for developing well-targeted
psychological interventions