Dataset Information

Socioeconomic correlates of health outcomes and mental health disparity in a sample of cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Aims and objectives

To investigate socioeconomic, behavioural and healthcare delivery factors that are associated with health outcomes of cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among underserved cancer patients.

Background

Cancer patients are at a higher risk of adverse physical and mental health outcomes during the pandemic than those without cancer.

Design

Cross-sectional online survey. We followed the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) reporting guidelines in this study.

Methods

The sample comprised 322 individuals diagnosed with incident cancer between January 2019 and January 2020. Demographically, 64% were female, 49% had a college degree, 12% were African American, and 88% were White (77% of the Whites were from metropolitan and 23% from nonmetropolitan areas). Descriptive analysis and multivariable regression analyses of global health status, depression and irritability were performed.

Results

After adjusting for demographic variables and comorbidity, the feelings of loneliness, crowded living space, lower confidence in taking preventive measures and less satisfaction with telehealth visits were significantly associated with poorer global health, depression and irritability. Daily exercise was associated with better global health, and difficulty in getting medicine was associated with depression and irritability. Moreover, African Americans who felt lonely reported more depression and irritability and those who had less confidence in taking preventive measures reported more irritability than Whites. Respondents having low income and feeling lonely reported more depression than others.

Conclusions

In this study, socioeconomic factors (e.g. loneliness or crowded living conditions) were as important to health outcomes during the pandemic as behavioural (e.g. prevention and exercises) and quality-of-care factors (e.g. telehealth, access to medicine). Disparity was more pronounced in the mental health of African Americans and those with low incomes.

Relevance to clinical practice

Healthcare providers should promote social support and physical activity for improving health and reducing mental health disparities among cancer patients.

SUBMITTER: Zhang AY

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9115137 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Socioeconomic correlates of health outcomes and mental health disparity in a sample of cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zhang Amy Y AY Koroukian Siran S Owusu Cynthia C Moore Scott E SE Gairola Richa R

Journal of clinical nursing 20220301 7-8

<h4>Aims and objectives</h4>To investigate socioeconomic, behavioural and healthcare delivery factors that are associated with health outcomes of cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among underserved cancer patients.<h4>Background</h4>Cancer patients are at a higher risk of adverse physical and mental health outcomes during the pandemic than those without cancer.<h4>Design</h4>Cross-sectional online survey. We followed the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies ...[more]

PMID: 35233863

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Project description:ImportanceAdolescence is a period in which mental health problems emerge. Research suggests that the COVID-19 lockdown may have worsened emotional and behavioral health.ObjectiveTo examine whether socioeconomic status was associated with mental health outcomes among youths during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design, setting, and participantsThe Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study is a multisite 10-year longitudinal study of youth neurocognitive development in the US. Recruitment was staggered where the baseline visit (ages 9 to 10 years) occurred from 2016 to 2018, and visits occurred yearly. The COVID-19 lockdown halted research collection during the 2-year follow-up visits (ages 11 to 12 years), but eventually resumed. As some youths already underwent their 2-year visits prior to lockdown, this allowed for a natural experiment-like design to compare prepandemic and intrapandemic groups. Thus, data were gathered from the 1-year follow-up (pre-COVID-19 lockdown for all youths) and the 2-year follow-up, of which a portion of youths had data collected after the lockdown began, to compare whether a period of near social isolation was associated with mental health symptoms in youths. The prepandemic group consisted of youths with a 2-year follow-up visit collected prior to March 11, 2020, and the intrapandemic group had their 2-year follow-up visit after lockdown restrictions were lifted.Main outcomes and measuresAssessments included measures on income-to-needs ratio (INR; derived from total household income), the Child Behavior Checklist (a measure of mental health symptomology), and the Family Environmental Scale.ResultsThe final sample included 10 399 youths; 3947 (52.3%) were male; 2084 (20.3%) were Latinx/Hispanic; 6765 (66.0%) were White; 4600 (44.2%) reported caregiver education levels below a 4-year college degree; and 2475 (26.2%) had INR either below 100% (indicating poverty) or between 100% and less than 200% (near poverty). Among youths in the intrapandemic group, worse mental health symptoms (eg, more total problems, greater depression, and greater anxiety) over time were associated with being from a household with higher socioeconomic status (eg, when comparing individuals who differed by 1 unit on INR between prepandemic and intrapandemic groups from 1-year to 2-year follow-up, their expected difference in total problems score was 0.79 [95% CI, 0.37-1.22]; false discovery rate-corrected P < .001).Conclusions and relevanceThis cohort study found that the COVID-19 lockdown was associated with disproportionately negative mental health outcomes among youths from higher socioeconomic status backgrounds. Although this study does not shed light on the direct mechanisms driving these associations, it does provide some support for positive outcomes for youths. Future studies are needed to understand whether these associations persist over longer periods of time.

Dataset Information

Socioeconomic correlates of health outcomes and mental health disparity in a sample of cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aims and objectives

Background

Design

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Relevance to clinical practice

Publications

Socioeconomic correlates of health outcomes and mental health disparity in a sample of cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Similar Datasets

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