Loneliness and belonging: Exploring experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic in psycho-oncology
Ce dossier présente un ensemble d'articles concernant la prise en charge des cancers durant la crise sanitaire liée au COVID-19
The COVID‐19 pandemic affects people across the world. While the virus appears to infect people of all ages and health status, those with cancer, may be at higher risk for developing critical illness and death (1, 2). Besides physical implications, the psychosocial burden that the pandemic puts on people may be especially high for those whose lives have already been affected by cancer. Although people confronted with cancer can be surprisingly resilient, half of cancer patients suffer from significant psychological distress (3). Almost one‐third of patients develop a psychiatric disorder, such as anxiety and depression (4). Family members, in particular life partners of cancer patients, also experience psychological problems due to the cancer (5). The additional worries caused by COVID‐19 and the social distancing regulations can be detrimental for their wellbeing. To address their needs, we explored experiences with the COVID‐19 pandemic in patients or family members who sought help at a mental health care institute for psycho‐oncology. Note that family members sought help for themselves, sometimes independently from the cancer patient (...)