DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF CANCER SURVIVORS

BACKGROUND Cancer of any type is a serious and life-threatening illness, not uncommon in the general population. Cancer survivor can mean any person diagnosed with cancer from the time of initial diagnosis until his or her death. It includes people who are dying from untreatable cancer. Cancer survivor also includes those patients who are receiving or have received treatment with no active disease process and those who are not in the terminal stage of the illness. Cancer survivors tend to develop anxiety, depression and change in their quality of life as they have to make adjustment to many psychological and physical changes as well as financial constraint. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty (50) cancer survival patients visiting Department of Radiotherapy, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal, during February 2015 to December 2015 were enrolled in this study. The study forms including the questions regarding the patient's demographic characteristics, Becks Depression Inventory (BDI), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and WHOQOL BREF were completed during face-to-face interviews for the determination of the psychological status of the patients. And the data were analysed using SPSS version 20.0. RESULTS All the dimensions of the Quality of Life (QoL) except D3=Domain 3 (Social Relationship) are negatively correlated with both the sub-types of STAI (State and Trait Anxiety). The state anxiety score is negatively correlated with D1=Domain 1 (Physical health; p=.001), D2=Domain 2 (Psychological; p=.001), D4=Domain 4 (Environment; p=.000). Also, the trait anxiety scores of the patients are negatively correlated with D1=Domain 1 (Physical health; p=.001), D2=Domain 2 (Psychological; p=.000), D4=Domain 4 (Environment; p=.000). However, there is no significant difference in terms of D3=Domain 3 (Social Relationship; state anxiety p=.142 and trait anxiety p=.220) and STAI scores. On the other hand, there is positive correlation between Becks Depression Inventory (BDI) and STAI (p=.013). But there is negative correlation between BDI and quality of life (Domain 1, p=.000; Domain 2, p=.000; Domain 3, p=.005; Domain 4, p=.003). CONCLUSION The study sample consists of 37 females and 13 males and majority of the sample belongs to the age group of 60-70. Most of the study sample are illiterate, married, housewife and live in a joint family. And maximum no. of the study samples have been suffering from illness from 2-5 years. This study finds a negative correlation between Quality of Life (QoL) and BDI and also with QoL and STAI. However, there is a positive correlation between BDI and STAI (p=.013). Therefore, to improve the patient's overall health condition and adherence to cancer treatment. There is need for addressing the associated psychiatric problems too.