Psychological status of lung cancer patients and the effects of online intervention during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anxiety and depression status of lung cancer patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) pandemic and the effects of psychological counseling online. For this purpose, following enrollment. patients were divided into an intervention group (group I) and a control group (group C). Participants in the two groups were scored using the Self‑Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self‑Rating Depression Scale (SDS) before and one week after the intervention. The depression and anxiety status of the lung cancer patients during the COVID‑19 pandemic was evaluated based on SAS and SDS, and the effects of intervention online were also evaluated. The results revealed that the rate of anxiety in patients with lung cancer reached 35.71%, while the rate of depression reached 51.43%. After one week of intervention, the standard total score of SAS (S‑SAS) and the raw sum score of the SDS (R‑SDS) in group I were lower than those in group C (P<0.05). The S‑SAS and R‑SDS in group I after one week of intervention were lower than those before intervention (P<0.05). However, the SAS and SDS scores in group C after one week of intervention did not differ significantly from those before intervention (P>0.05). On the whole, the present study demonstrates that psychological counseling online for lung cancer patients during the COVID‑19 pandemic can effectively reduce their anxiety and depression scores. In addition, this type of counseling may be an effective psychological counseling method that is worthy of promotion during the pandemic.