Abstract
PurposeThis study was performed to examine the relationship of social adjustment with occupation and life changes in patients with laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer, from before laryngectomy to 1 year after hospital discharge.MethodsThe subjects were 27 patients with laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer who were admitted to hospital for laryngectomy and provided informed consent for participation in the study. The patients answered questionnaire surveys before surgery, and 3, 6, and 12 months after hospital discharge. Regarding social adjustment, social functioning (SF) and mental health (MH) in SF-36V2 were used as dependent variables, and time, occupation status, age, family structure, and sex as independent variables. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to examine the main effect, and second- and third-order interactions were also examined.ResultsThe age of the subjects was 62.9 ± 6.4 years and about 30% had an occupation. Loss of voice was the reason for 30% leaving work. In an examination of the main effects of the four variables, only age was significant regarding SF, and SF was favorable in subjects aged ≥ 64 years old. Regarding MH, age and family structure were significant, and MH was higher in older subjects who lived alone. The interaction between time and the other 3 variables was not significant. Only time/age/occupation was significant for MH. Regarding SF, a weak interaction was suggested, but it was not significant.ConclusionOlder subjects showed better social adjustment, and those who lived alone had better MH. These findings may have been due to a reduced environmental influence. MH of subjects with an occupation decreased more at 3 months or later after hospital discharge, compared to those without an occupation. Especially for younger patients, development of new approaches is required to allow families and colleagues of patients to understand the difficulties of patients with laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer.
Highlights
Laryngectomized patients with laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer face fear of a malignant tumor, anxiety regarding recurrence and complications after surgery, while having physical, mental, and social difficulties due to communication disorder caused by sudden loss of voice after surgery [1,2,3,4,5]
Some support may be required and this support requires classification based on occupation status, if quality of life (QOL) differs depending on this status
In this study, we examined the effects of occupation on QOL using social functioning (SF) and mental health (MH) as indexes
Summary
Laryngectomized patients with laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer face fear of a malignant tumor, anxiety regarding recurrence and complications after surgery, while having physical, mental, and social difficulties due to communication disorder caused by sudden loss of voice after surgery [1,2,3,4,5]. There have been no studies of QOL related to occupation status in patients after laryngectomy. The relationships of social adjustment with occupation and life changes from before surgery to 1 year after discharge have not been examined in these patients. The objective of this study was to examine these relationships in patients treated with laryngectomy for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
