E-poster Presentation 2014 World Cancer Congress

Quality of life, depression and anxiety levels and social support perceiving in caregivers of Turkish cancer patients under radiotherapy (#899)

Zerrin Ozgen 1 , Beste M Atasoy 2 , Aysegul Ucuncu Kefeli 2 , Kemal Kuscu 3 , Zuleyha Akgun 4
  1. MARMARA University Pendik Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
  2. 2Marmara University School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology, Istanbul, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
  3. 3Marmara University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
  4. 4Vakıf Gureba Hospital Radiotherapy Clinic, Istanbul, Turkey, Vakif Gureba Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

Background:

 Knowingly, cancer causes stress and burden not only to the patient but also to their caregivers. Due to increased stress patients caregivers’ immune system is affected, mortality rates are increased. .During illness family caregivers had more anxiety, depression, exhaustion, role conflict, social isolation and burden. There have been a few works done for patients’ caregivers’ quality of life status in our country

Aim:

Cancer patients` caregivers may have psychological problems such as depression, anxiety and quality of life (QOL) may decreases. In this study, we examined the caregivers QOL and assed the overall effect of general anxiety and depression levels, and social support perceiving on this issue.

Methods:

A total of 90 caregivers invited to this study. They were asked to complete cancer Turkish version of caregiver quality of life scale (CQOLC), multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS) and hospital anxiety and depression scale (HAD) which is used frequently in clinic psychiatry.

Results:

The burden score and MSPSS total score was worse in caregivers, that are living together with the patients than those are living, separately (p<0.005). In male caregivers, HAD depression score was higher (p=0.012) and CQOLC disruptiveness score was less (p=0.014) than women caregivers. In correlation analysis we found a negative correlation between CQOLC total score and HAD anxiety and depression scores. QOL decreases when anxiety and depression scores increase. There was a significant correlation between anxiety score and total, family, friend subscales of MSPSS.

Conclusions:

Cancer is a stressful experience not only to the patient but also to the caregivers and leads to social, physical and psychological problems and disrupts the quality of life.

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