Abstract A102: Factors associated with psychological distress among chronic hepatitis B patients

Abstract

Abstract Background: Psychosocial stress is a common comorbidity in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. A diagnosis of CHB, the primary risk factor for liver cancer among Asian Americans, can be a significant source of psychological and emotional stress. Although the disease can be life-changing, there is a paucity of research on psychosocial stress in CHB patients. The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of serious psychological distress (SPD) and factors associated with SPD in Asian CHB patients. Method: It is a prospective study design with subjects identified from an existing patient cohort that were enrolled and then subsequently followed up. Information was gathered from the CHB patients using face-to-face interviews in Korean or English. Serious psychological distress was measured by the Kessler Scale (K6). Measures of stressful life events and Hepatitis B Quality of Life (HBQOL) (e.g., psychological well-being, anticipation anxiety, stigma) were used. A multivariate logistic regression model (including gender, age, level of education) was conducted for analysis. Results. Of 50 CHB patients 18 years and older, the 12-month prevalence of SPD was estimated at 20% using the optimal cut-off (>=13). In adjusted regression analysis, stressful life events and HBQOL-stigma were related to serous psychological distress: Those who had stressful life events (aOR=3.10, 95% CI 1.26-7.64) and those who had high scores of stigma (aOR=1.19, 95% CI 0.97-1.44, p=.08) had higher psychological distress. Those with more than a college education had decreased psychological distress (aOR=0.09, 95% CI 0.01-0.82). Conclusion: The finding indicates CHB patients had a higher prevalence of serious psychological distress than the general Asian population (2.6% from California Health Interview Survey). Stigma connected to hepatitis B diagnosis and stressful life events were important factors associated with mental health. This suggests that disease burden caused by hepatitis B infection may lead to poor mental health. Future studies will identify those who are at a high likelihood of developing a mental disorder and develop effective interventions for early detection of mental illness. Citation Format: Hee-Soon Juon, Grace Park, Klassen Ann, Hie-Won Hann. Factors associated with psychological distress among chronic hepatitis B patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr A102.