Cancer Patients and Anxiety: A Gender Perspective.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
; 17(4)2020 02 18.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32085538
The complexity of the diagnosis and treatment of cancer means that it is often associated with anxiety symptoms. The aim of our study was to further our understanding of the oncological process and the presence of anxiety symptoms, from a gender perspective. A cross-sectional study was performed, examining 402 medical records obtained by simple random sampling of oncology patients at a hospital in northern Spain from July 2012 to July 2014. Data collection took place between February and May 2015. Psychiatric and sociodemographic variables were gathered, as well as pain variables and information regarding the oncological process. The data analysis included a descriptive univariate analysis and a bivariate analysis, and a logistic regression model was performed. Our results suggest that women with cancer suffer more anxiety symptoms than men with cancer. Women with anxiety symptoms represented 76.5% of all patients with anxiety. The OR of suffering anxiety symptoms between women and men was 2.43 (95% CI 1.05-5.63) (p = 0.04). A greater incidence of anxiety symptoms was found in patients with cancer pain and oncological treatment with biological therapy. Our results suggest that the gender perspective is necessary in the management of mental health in patients with cancer. Nonetheless, further studies are necessary to confirm our findings.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Anxiety
/
Neoplasms
Type of study:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Aspects:
Determinantes_sociais_saude
Limits:
Aged
/
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Int J Environ Res Public Health
Year:
2020
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Spain
Country of publication:
Switzerland