The relationship between psychological flexibility, self-compassion, and posttraumatic growth in cancer patients in the COVID-19 pandemic.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic may have an important long-term emotional impact on patients with cancer diagnosis, as they are in the high-risk group. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between self-compassion, psychological flexibility, and posttraumatic growth, and to examine whether psychological flexibility may serve as a mediator between self-compassion and posttraumatic growth. METHODS: Two hundred fifty-three patients with cancer were included in the study. Sociodemographic and Clinical Features Data Form, Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ), and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) were applied to all patients. RESULTS: The multivariate analysis with independent variable SCS, FMI, AAQ-II, and CFQ scores explains 49% of the variance in PTGI (F(4,248) = 60,585, p < 0.001). SC and FMI scores were found to have a positive and AAQ-II and CFQ scores a negative predictive effect on PTGI scores. The partial mediational effect of psychological flexibility on the relationship between self-compassion and posttraumatic growth was found to be statistically significant. CONCLUSION: In traumatic life events such as pandemics, the importance of self-compassion for posttraumatic growth and the mediator role of psychological flexibility in this relationship should be considered in order to manage the treatment process in cancer patients. These patients are more affected by the pandemic due to the nature of their malignancy and the strict protective measures they must follow as members of a high-risk group. The significance of therapies focused on psychological flexibility should be emphasized in comprehensive biopsychosocial approaches for the management of cancer patients.

Investigation of Apraxia in Patients with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Type I.

BACKGROUND: Almost 50% of patients with schizophrenia experience problems in their praxia performance, whereas executive function losses can be seen in patients with bipolar disorder. Although schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can be categorized as different disorders, in patient groups with similar symptom clusters, we aimed to determine whether there are common or disorder-specific praxia defects and to investigate the relationship between the sociodemographic and clinical features with apraxia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 52 Schizophrenia and 77 Bipolar Disorder Type I outpatients in remission for at least 6 months were included in our study. Test of Upper Limb Apraxia (TULIA) and Mayo Clinic Praxia Assessment Test (MCPAT) were used to evaluate praxia performance. RESULTS: Patients with Schizophrenia performed poorer on the TULIA and MCPAT than patients with Bipolar Disorder Type I. While impairment in personal and social functioning was higher in the apraxic schizophrenia group compared to the non-apraxic group, the mean age of disease onset was lower. Functioning in the Apraxic Bipolar Disorder Type I group was lower than in the group without apraxia; whereas the patient's age, duration of disease and number of hospitalizations were higher. CONCLUSIONS: Although apraxia, which have an important effect on the functioning and quality of life of the patient by causing impairment in daily activities, are seen at higher rates in patients with schizophrenia, might be also seen in patients with bipolar disorder type I. Decreasing diagnostic confusion and developing appropriate treatment strategies, evaluation of apraxia seems to be clinically important in terms of prognosis of diseases and functioning of patients.

Exploring the clinical characteristics and etiological factors of comorbid major depressive disorder and social anxiety disorder.

The comorbidity between the major depressive disorder (MDD) and the social anxiety disorder (SAD) is significantly prevalent, necessitating a nuanced understanding of their overlapping clinical characteristics and shared etiological factors, including inflammatory biomarkers. To address this, we conducted a cross-sectional study from December 2021 to June 2022, encompassing 204 outpatients diagnosed with MDD-SAD comorbidity. We employed various psychometric assessments, such as the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-28), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS). Additionally, we analyzed inflammatory biomarkers including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte platelet ratio (NLPR), systemic inflammation index (SII), and the systemic inflammation response index (SIRI). Our findings accentuated that patients primarily diagnosed with MDD exhibited elevated levels of certain inflammatory biomarkers. They reported more severe and atypical depressive symptoms (75.7% vs 58.5%; P = 0.010) and had significantly higher CTQ-28 subscale scores (P < 0.05). Our study unveils a complex relationship between MDD and SAD, with significant disparities in the symptom severity and inflammatory biomarker levels, thereby establishing a compelling case for dual-diagnosis treatment approaches. It elucidates the critical role of inflammation in the comorbidity of MDD and SAD, marking a pioneering step towards more comprehensive and holistic patient care strategies. These insights could potentially revolutionize therapeutic approaches in psychiatric care, promising significantly improved outcomes through early detection and integrated intervention strategies.

Alexithymia, Self-Compassion, Emotional Resilience, and Cognitive Emotion Regulation: Charting the Emotional Journey of Cancer Patients.

Cancer's profound impact on emotional well-being necessitates an exploration into the underlying psychological mechanisms influencing depression and anxiety in patients. In this study, we explored the potential role of self-compassion, alexithymia, and cognitive emotion regulation mechanisms in influencing depressive and anxiety symptoms among cancer patients. A total of 151 stage 4 cancer patients participated. Instruments applied included the Beck Depression Scale (BDS), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), Cognitive Emotion Regulation Scale (CERQ), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and Brief Psychological Resilience Scale (BRS). The multivariate analysis utilizing the independent variables-SCS, adaptive and maladaptive CERQ, TAS subscales, BRS, and VAS scores-accounted for 39% of the variance seen in BDI (F (8142) = 11.539, p < 0.001). Notably, SCS, adaptive CERQ, and BRS had a negative predictive impact on BDI. Our findings substantiate a statistically significant partial mediatory role of resilience and cognitive emotion regulation in the association between self-compassion and depression. This research accentuates the central role self-compassion, emotional resilience, and cognitive regulation play in the emotional well-being of individuals diagnosed with cancer. Targeted therapeutic interventions focusing on these dimensions may enhance the psychological health of patients, ultimately improving overall treatment outcomes in the oncological setting.

Decoding Caregiver Burden in Cancer: Role of Emotional Health, Rumination, and Coping Mechanisms.

This study aimed to elucidate the role of psychological factors in caregiver burden among caregivers of stage 4 cancer patients. Data were collected from 328 caregivers of cancer patients, employing the Zarit Care Burden Scale, Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale (DASS-42), Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS-A), Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire (RTSQ), and Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief COPE). Males, spouses, and caregivers of patients with a PEG or tracheostomy, or those diagnosed with pancreatic biliary cancer were found to have a significantly higher risk of caregiver burden. Age, sex, caregiver-patient relationship, caregiving duration, patient's catheter status, cancer types, depression and stress severity, rumination, dysfunctional attitudes, and dysfunctional coping strategies explained 69.7% of the variance in Zarit Care Burden Scale scores (F(14,313) = 51.457, p < 0.001), illustrating their significant predictive relationship with caregiver burden. Moderation analysis revealed significant interactions of emotional coping with depression (b = -0.0524, p = 0.0076) and dysfunctional coping with stress on caregiver burden (b = 0.014, p = 0.006). Furthermore, rumination mediated the relationships between caregiver burden, stress, and depression (p < 0.01). Overall, the results highlight the intricate relationships among caregiver burden, mental health, and coping strategies, suggesting tailored interventions to support caregiver health and quality of care.