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  • Psychosocial assessment of lung cancer patients and their caregivers
    Publication . Clara, Cátia; Monteiro, Sara; Bártolo, Ana
    Lung cancer (LC) is one of the most common types of cancer disease worldwide. Studies in the field show that the appearance of a pathology of this form causes changes not only in the patient’s life, namely psychological problems, functional limitations and poorer health due to the clinical consequences of treatments, but also in their family, where caregivers often face the challenge of providing long-term daily care that induces a physical, psychosocial and financial burden (Borges et al., 2017; Hewitt et al., 2003; Tan et al., 2018). The main objective of the present study is to compare and relate the two groups (patients and caregivers) considering the quality of life (QoL) and symptoms of psychological distress (anxiety and depression). The total sample consisted of 30 patient/caregiver dyads. The instruments used were: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; European Organization for Research and Treatment of Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ C-30) and its specific module for lung cancer (LC13); Caregiver Oncology Quality of Life Questionnaire (CarGOQoL) and Zarit Burden Interview Scale (ZBI). The results suggest the influence of depressive symptomatology on patients’ QoL [F(1)=6.390; p<0.05] and depressive and anxious symptomatology and burden on caregivers’ QoL [F(3)=7.815; p<0.001]. A positive association was found between depressive symptomatology of patients and caregivers (r=0.458; p=0.011) and differences in anxious symptomatology were also observed, with a higher result in the patient’s group.
  • Validation of the Short‐Form Survivor Unmet Needs Survey in older patients with myeloma
    Publication . Pereira, M.Graça; Pereira, Marta; Vilaça, Margarida; Ferreira, Gabriela; Faria, Sara; Monteiro, Sara; Bacalhau, Rosário
    Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) affects mainly the older population and is the second most prevalent haematologic cancer. MM patients’ unmet needs are diverse, arise at different stages, and are associated with greater psychological distress. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Short-Form Survivor Unmet Needs Survey (SF-SUNS) in Portuguese MM patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 213 MM patients. The internal consistency of the scale was analyzed with Cronbach’s α. Principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to assess construct validity. Convergent validity was examined by using correlations with quality of life, satisfaction with social support, and psychological morbidity. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to explore the contribution of sociodemographic and clinical variables to unmet needs. Results: The Portuguese SF-SUNS’s factor structure follows the original’s structure, although it includes fewer items. For each domain, Cronbach’s α was ≤0.70, the minimum acceptable criterion. For construct validity, only unmet relationship and emotional needs had significant correlations (r ≥ 0.40)—specifically negative associations with quality of life and social support and positive associations with psychological morbidity. Regarding patient variables and SF-SUNS results, only cancer stage contributed significantly to unmet information needs, with patients at stage I reporting more needs than patients at stage III. Conclusions: The SF-SUNS represents a valid and reliable tool to assess unmet needs among Portuguese MM patients. It may be useful in designing and monitoring interventions to improve well-being in cancer survivors.