| dc.description.abstract | The diagnosis of cancer is a tough affair resulting to significant emotional anguish.
Patients with both anxiety and depressive disorders tend to have drastic symptoms, extended
healing periods, worse outcomes, and greater burden on healthcare resources than those with a
singular disorder. The objective of this research was to determine the prevalence of anxiety and
depression and to explore factors associated with these psychiatric disorders among cancer
patients. A cross- sectional data was obtained from 195 patients drawn from cancer patients that
were receiving cancer treatment on outpatient basis at Texas cancer centre, Nairobi Kenya.
Socio-demographic, socioeconomic and clinical information were obtained from these patients
using a self-administered questionnaire. An English version of Hospital anxiety and depression
scale was used to assess for anxiety and depression in this population. Chi square was used to
test the differences in categorical indicators while Logistic regression was performed to
investigate the association between sociodemographic, socioeconomic and clinical factors with
both anxiety and depression. A prevalence of 33.3% and 39.0% for anxiety and depression was
obtained. After adjustment, those who had prostate cancer were 6.73 times more likely to be
anxious than those who had cancers of the breast or female genital organ. Participants who were
in the late stages, were paying for their treatment in cash and had severe pain were 8.54, 4.46 and
29.47 times more likely to be anxious. However, those who had family history of cancer and had
counselling support were 88% and 78% less likely to be anxious than those who did not have
family history of cancer and did not have counselling support, respectively, after adjusting for
potential confounders. Patients who had cancers of the soft tissues or bones and cancers of the
central nervous system or hepatobiliary or lungs were more likely to be depressed. However,
those who had counselling support and were engaged in a support group were 56% and 92% less
likely to be depressed. The prevalence of anxiety and depression among cancer patients was high
indicating need for routine screening of this psychological condition in oncological care.
Mitigation measures of this conditions such as counselling, support groups aimed assisting
patients cope with cancer and its impact on their mental wellbeing is vital. | en_US |
