The need for psychosocial support and patients' desire for psychosocial support in female cancer patients - predictors and correlates

Abstract

The need for psychosocial support and patients' desire for psychosocial support in female cancer patients - predictors and correlates Objectives: The aims of the present study were to determine the need for psychosocial support of cancer patients, the subjective request for support and to examine the relationship between the need for psychosocial counselling, psychological distress and quality of life. Methods: 112 patients (consecutive) answered questionnaires about mental stress (GAD-2 and PHQ-2), quality of life (SF-8) as well as the Hornheide Screening Instrument (HSI) during their hospital stay (T1), two weeks (T2) and three months after their discharge (T3). Results: The need for psychosocial support goes down from 65.2 % (T1) to 39.3 % (T3). The psychological distress was in a positive (GAD-2 - HSI T1: r = 0.44, p < 0.01; PHQ-2 - HSI T1: r = 0.54, p < 0.01), the quality of life in a negative relationship to the need for support (SF-8 PCS - HSI T1: r = -0.45, p < 0.01; SF-8 MCS - HSI T1: r = -0.56, p < 0.01). The match between the need for support and the subjective desire to be cared for by psychologists was low (conversation persons not needing support: T1: 17.1 %, T2: 3.8 %, T3: 5.5 %; conversation persons needing support: T1: 13.7 %, T2: 18.4 %, T3: 18.2 %). Conclusions: The divergence between the assessed need for support and the subjective desire for consultations leads to the conclusion that both methods, screening and asking for desire of counseling, should be adopted in combination to provide adequate psychooncological support.