Abstract
BackgroundStatistics reveal that the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer is increasing in Egypt. It is seen as a terrifying disease due to its high mortality rate and its impacts on the self-image and the sexual relationship. Many of its patients experience psychological reactions and may have psychiatric morbidities. The present study aimed to identify the prevalence and associated psychosocial factors of anxiety, depressive disorders, and perceived stress among breast cancer patients in Menoufia university hospitals. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Clinical Oncology Department, Menoufia University. Sixty patients were subjected to questionnaires for socio-demographic data, structured psychiatric clinical interview to screen for psychiatric diagnoses, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) for measuring the emotional, cognitive and motivational symptoms of depression, Manifest Anxiety Scale to assess the degree of anxiety, and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) to assess stress level.ResultsThe prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and perceived stress were 68.6%, 73.3%, and 78.1% respectively. Moderate to severe anxiety, depression, and stress were more prevalent among advanced disease patients, patients who underwent surgery, married patients, patients who were living in rural areas, illiterate, and those without satisfactory income but without statistically significant difference except for the effect of occupation on the anxiety state as unemployed patients had significantly higher prevalence of moderate to severe anxiety (100%) than employed patients p = 0.003.ConclusionDepressive disorders, anxiety, and perceived stress are common psychiatric disorders among the studied breast cancer patients. Understanding these common psychiatric disorders and associated stress can help to plan for their management.
Highlights
Statistics reveal that the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer is increasing in Egypt
Studies have shown that prevalence of psychological distress among breast cancer patients is high, and they are at higher risk of developing severe anxiety and depression [2, 3]
Among patients who were living in rural areas, 77.3% had moderate to severe depression, 81% moderate to severe anxiety, and 80% moderate to severe stress, while 22.7% of patients who are living in urban areas had moderate to severe depression, 19% moderate to severe anxiety, and 20% moderate to severe stress
Summary
Statistics reveal that the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer is increasing in Egypt. The present study aimed to identify the prevalence and associated psychosocial factors of anxiety, depressive disorders, and perceived stress among breast cancer patients in Menoufia university hospitals. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Clinical Oncology Department, Menoufia University. Studies have shown that prevalence of psychological distress among breast cancer patients is high, and they are at higher risk of developing severe anxiety and depression [2, 3]. The present study aimed to identify the prevalence and associated psychosocial factors of anxiety, depressive disorders, and perceived stress among sample of breast cancer patients Alagizy et al Middle East Current Psychiatry (2020) 27:29 for breast cancer patients and their partners improving their quality of life [4].
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