Psycho-oncology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Interdependent anxiety and psychological distress in women with breast cancer and their partners.
The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of interdependence on anxiety within dyads where one person was undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Perceptions of relationship quality were expected to mitigate the anxiety experienced by both members of the dyad. 96 dyads participated in a 3-wave longitudinal study that took place over 10 weeks. Dyads were composed of a woman with stage I-III breast cancer who was currently undergoing treatment, and a partner who she nominated to participate in the study along with her. ⋯ Perceptions of relationship quality from women with breast cancer and their partners were negatively associated with partners' anxiety. However, women's anxiety was only correlated with their partners', but not their own, perceptions of relationship quality. These findings underscore the benefit of having partners who are able to cope with or get help for their own personal distress as women cope with the stress of breast cancer and its treatment.
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Comparative Study
The cancer worry chart: a single-item screening measure of worry about developing breast cancer.
Brief pictograph measures of health functioning have clinical value to office-based practice. Many women with a close family history of breast cancer will experience worry about their risk of developing breast cancer that influences decision-making and can interfere with health-related functioning. ⋯ The new Cancer Worry Chart is a valid triage measure for breast cancer worry.
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To determine the prevalence of burnout and psychiatric morbidity among physicians engaged in end-of-life care for cancer patients in Japan and to explore associated factors related to end-of-life care. ⋯ A low level of personal accomplishment was relatively high among Japanese physicians compared with previous studies. Insufficient confidence in the psychological care of patients was associated with physician burnout rather than involvement in end-of-life care.
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Although fear of cancer recurrence is a great concern among survivors and their families, few studies have examined predictors of fear of recurrence. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with fear of recurrence in a population-based sample (N = 246) and determine if survivors and family caregivers influenced one another's fear of recurrence. ⋯ Results indicated that survivors and family caregivers influenced each other's fear of recurrence and that caregivers had significantly more fear of recurrence than survivors. More family stressors, less positive meaning of the illness, and age were related to elevated fear of cancer recurrence for both survivors and caregivers.
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Meeting the psychological, social and physical needs of people with cancer is a challenge for individual health practitioners, health administrators and health policy makers. However, there is a considerable gap between recommended best-evidence psychosocial and supportive care and actual practice. ⋯ The model is a useful way of classifying potential barriers to the application of recommended best practice into three categories: predisposing factors which influence motivation to behave in a particular way, enabling factors which facilitate the enactment of the behaviour and reinforcing factors which increase the likelihood that the behaviour will be maintained over time. Ways of addressing these barriers are proposed and discussed.