Demoralization syndrome among cancer outpatients in Taiwan
Menée à Taïwan auprès de 234 participants, cette étude analyse l'impact de la démoralisation et autres symptômes psychologiques sur la qualité de vie et la survie de patients atteints de cancer et traités à l'extérieur de l'hôpital
Goals This paper aims to explore characteristics of demoralization syndrome as well as the relationship between demoralization syndrome and psychosocial issues as seen through examinations of cancer outpatients in Taiwan. Materials and methods Outpatients with different cancer types were enrolled in this study. The Demoralization Scale Mandarin Version (DS-MV), Patient Health Questionnaire, Beck Hopelessness Scale, and McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire—Taiwan Version were used as instruments. All data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0. Results Among the 234 patients studied (97 men and 223 women), the majority had cervical cancer (29.1%), followed by breast cancer (26.5%) and head and neck cancer (24.3%). The mean score of DS-MV was 31.05 (SD 14.87). The results of ANOVA analysis showed a significant effect of occupation F (4.209) = 7.145 ( p < 0.001), cancer diagnosis F (7.206) = 3.795 ( p < 0.001), and treatment F (8.206) = 3.553 ( p < 0.001) on DS-MV. Conclusions Demoralization syndrome was found to be related to psychosocial issues, different cancer types, and treatments. Further studies are recommended to better understand causes and impacts of demoralization in the quality of life and care of cancer patients.