The role of trait emotional intelligence in quality of life, anxiety and depression symptoms after surgery for esophageal or gastric cancer: a French national database FREGAT
Menée en France à partir de questionnaires auprès de 228 patients inclus dans la base clinico-biologique FREGAT et atteints d'un cancer de l'estomac ou de l'œsophage traité par chirurgie, cette étude analyse l'association entre l'intelligence émotionnelle, les symptômes de dépression et d'anxiété, et la qualité de vie
Objective : The main objective was to test the indirect effects of emotional competence (EC) after diagnosis (T1) on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after surgery (T2) of esogastric cancer patients via fewer anxiety and depression symptoms (T2). Methods : Data were collected from 30 French centers via the clinico-biological database FREGAT (French EsoGastric Tumors). Two hundred and twenty-eight participants completed a self-reported questionnaire at T1 and T2, assessing their EC (PEC), HRQoL (EORTC QLQ-C30), and anxiety and depression symptoms (HADS). Regression analyses were used to test the direct effects of intra- and interpersonal EC on their anxiety/depression symptoms and HRQoL at T1 and T2. The PROCESS Macro in SPPS v.22 with bootstrap methods was used to test the indirect effects of intra- and interpersonal EC at T1 on HRQoL at T2 via anxiety and depression symptoms. Results : EC predicted fewer anxiety and depression symptoms of patients at T1 and T2 and better HRQoL at T1. EC at T1 also predicted a better HRQoL at T2 via fewer anxiety and depression symptoms at T2. Conclusions : Patients who tended to use their EC in daily life could be more effective in regulating the emotional impact of the cancer diagnosis and surgery. This explains why they reported fewer anxiety and depression symptoms, which in turn enabled a better perceived HRQoL after surgery. Therefore, reinforcing the use of patients’ EC in daily life following their diagnosis could decrease their emotional distress and, in this way, improve their HRQoL in the pre- and post-operative stages. ----------------------- (extrait de l'article, pour comprendre le concept d'intelligence émotionnelle ou compétence émotionnelle : "One of these potential predictors could be emotional intelligence (EI) or emotional competence (EC), which has shown a beneficial impact on health and cancer adjustment. EC involves a set of emotion-related individual differences (e.g. emotional identification, understanding, and regulation) on 3 levels: 1) knowledge about emotions and EC, 2) the ability to apply knowledge and EC in emotional situations (i.e. maximal performance assessed using tests), and 3) the trait or tendency to use one’s EC in daily life (i.e. typical performance assessed using self-report questionnaires). In particular, trait EC and intrapersonal EC (i.e. about ones’ own emotions) are more strongly associated with mental and physical health in the general and clinical populations than the level of ability and interpersonal EC (i.e. about others’ emotions).")
Psycho-Oncology 2019