Distress and Emotional Support Needs of Patients With Stage IV Cancer and Their Partners: A Biopsychosocial Assessment.

IF 3.5 2区医学 Q2 ONCOLOGY

Psycho‐Oncology Pub Date : 2025-07-01 DOI:10.1002/pon.70232

Cristiane Decat Bergerot, Paulo Gustavo Bergerot, Errol J Philip, Courtney Bitz, Sebastian Hadaegh, Karen Clark, Matthew Loscalzo, Sumanta Pal

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Cancer diagnosis, particularly at advanced stages, affects both patients and their primary caregivers, often resulting in emotional distress.

Aims: To assess and compare distress levels in patients newly diagnosed with stage IV cancer and their partners and identify psychosocial support needs.

Methods: In this prospective study, patients and their partners from a public hospital in Brazil completed the SupportScreen-Couples Distress questionnaire, assessing emotional and physical symptoms, relationship issues, and concerns about diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and end-of-life. Paired t-tests compared distress levels between patients and partners.

Results: A total of 128 participants were included, consisting of 64 patients with stage IV cancer and their partners. The findings revealed significant differences in distress levels between patients and partners. Patients reported higher distress in areas such as fatigue (42.1% vs. 29.7%, p = 0.02), worries about the future (28.1% vs. 20.3%, p = 0.08), sleep problems (28.1% vs. 20.3%, p = 0.07), and feelings of depression (26.6% vs. 15.6%, p = 0.03). In contrast, partners experienced higher distress related to anxiety (37.5% vs. 28.1%, p < 0.01) and financial concerns (25.1% vs. 17.2%, p < 0.01).

Conclusion: The study highlights the distinct emotional burdens faced by both patients and their partners. While patients are primarily distressed by physical symptoms and future uncertainties, partners are more concerned with caregiving demands and financial strain. These findings emphasize the need for integrated psychosocial support that addresses both patient and partner needs to improve emotional well-being and care outcomes.

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第四期癌症患者及其伴侣的痛苦和情感支持需求：一项生物心理社会评估。

背景：癌症诊断，特别是在晚期，会影响患者及其主要照顾者，通常会导致情绪困扰。目的：评估和比较新诊断的IV期癌症患者及其伴侣的痛苦程度，并确定社会心理支持需求。方法：在这项前瞻性研究中，来自巴西一家公立医院的患者及其伴侣完成了SupportScreen-Couples Distress问卷调查，评估情绪和身体症状、关系问题以及对诊断、治疗、预后和临终关怀的担忧。配对t检验比较了患者和伴侣之间的痛苦程度。结果：共纳入128名参与者，包括64名IV期癌症患者及其伴侣。研究结果显示，患者和伴侣之间的痛苦程度存在显著差异。患者在疲劳（42.1% vs. 29.7%, p = 0.02）、对未来的担忧（28.1% vs. 20.3%, p = 0.08）、睡眠问题（28.1% vs. 20.3%, p = 0.07）和抑郁感（26.6% vs. 15.6%, p = 0.03）等方面报告了更高的痛苦。相比之下，伴侣经历了更高的与焦虑相关的痛苦（37.5%比28.1%）。结论：该研究突出了患者及其伴侣所面临的不同情绪负担。虽然患者主要为身体症状和未来的不确定性感到痛苦，但伴侣更关心的是护理需求和经济压力。这些发现强调需要综合的社会心理支持，解决患者和伴侣的需求，以改善情绪健康和护理结果。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Psycho‐Oncology 医学-心理学

CiteScore

6.30

自引率

8.30%

发文量

220

审稿时长

3-8 weeks

期刊介绍： Psycho-Oncology is concerned with the psychological, social, behavioral, and ethical aspects of cancer. This subspeciality addresses the two major psychological dimensions of cancer: the psychological responses of patients to cancer at all stages of the disease, and that of their families and caretakers; and the psychological, behavioral and social factors that may influence the disease process. Psycho-oncology is an area of multi-disciplinary interest and has boundaries with the major specialities in oncology: the clinical disciplines (surgery, medicine, pediatrics, radiotherapy), epidemiology, immunology, endocrinology, biology, pathology, bioethics, palliative care, rehabilitation medicine, clinical trials research and decision making, as well as psychiatry and psychology. This international journal is published twelve times a year and will consider contributions to research of clinical and theoretical interest. Topics covered are wide-ranging and relate to the psychosocial aspects of cancer and AIDS-related tumors, including: epidemiology, quality of life, palliative and supportive care, psychiatry, psychology, sociology, social work, nursing and educational issues. Special reviews are offered from time to time. There is a section reviewing recently published books. A society news section is available for the dissemination of information relating to meetings, conferences and other society-related topics. Summary proceedings of important national and international symposia falling within the aims of the journal are presented.