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Screening for Psychological Distress in Adult Primary Brain Tumor Patients and Caregivers: Considerations for Cancer Care Coordination
INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to assess psychological distress (PD) as scored by the Distress Thermometer (DT) in adult primary brain tumor patients and caregivers (CGs) in a clinic setting and ascertain if any high-risk subgroups for PD exist. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From May 2012 to August 2013, n ...
Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2015
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4585197/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26442215 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2015.00203 |
Sumario: | INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to assess psychological distress (PD) as scored by the Distress Thermometer (DT) in adult primary brain tumor patients and caregivers (CGs) in a clinic setting and ascertain if any high-risk subgroups for PD exist. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From May 2012 to August 2013, n = 96 patients and n = 32 CG underwent DT screening at diagnosis, and a differing cohort of n = 12 patients and n = 14 CGs at first recurrence. Groups were described by diagnosis (high grade, low grade, and benign) and English versus non English speaking. Those with DT score ≥4 met caseness criteria for referral to psycho-oncology services. One-way ANOVA tests were conducted to test for between-group differences where appropriate. RESULTS: At diagnosis and first recurrence, 37.5 and 75.0% (respectively) of patients had DT scores above the cutoff for distress. At diagnosis, 78.1% of CGs met caseness criteria for distress. All CGs at recurrence met distress criterion. Patients with high-grade glioma had significantly higher scores than those with a benign tumor. For patients at diagnosis, non English speaking participants did not report significantly higher DT scores than English speaking participants. DISCUSSION: Psychological distress is particularly elevated in CGs and in patients with high-grade glioma at diagnosis. Effective PD screening, triage, and referral by skilled care coordinators are vital to enable timely needs assessment, psychological support, and effective intervention. |
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