Alleviating Excessive Worries Improves Co-Occurring Depression and Pain in Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Patients: A Network Approach

OBJECTIVE: Anxiety, depression, and pain are highly interactive with each other in adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients. This study aims to map out the connectivity between anxiety, depression and pain symptoms amongst Chinese AYA cancer patients from the perspective of a network model. METHODS: Two hundred and eighteen AYA patients, aged between 15 and 39 years at diagnosis; completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and McGill Pain Questionnaire-Visual Analogue Scale (MPQ-VAS). Network analyses were performed. RESULTS: In all, 38.07% (95% CI = 31.58–44.57%) of the participants reported depression, 30.73% (95% CI = 24.56–36.91%) reported anxiety, and 14.22% (95% CI = 9.55–18.89%) reported current pain. The generated network illustrated that anxiety, depression and pain community were well connected. In the network, “having trouble relaxing” (GAD4, node strength = 1.182), “uncontrollable worry” (GAD2, node strength = 1.165), and “sad mood” (PHQ2, node strength = 1.144) were identified as the most central symptoms, while “uncontrollable worry” (GAD2, bridge strength = 0.645), “guilty” (PHQ6, bridge strength = 0.545), and “restlessness” (GAD5, bridge strength = 0.414) were the key bridging symptoms that connected different communities. CONCLUSION: Anxiety, depression and pain symptoms are highly interactive with each other. Alleviating AYA cancer patient’s excessive worries might be helpful in improving the patient’s co-occurring anxiety, depression and pain symptoms.