Understanding care needs of cancer patients with depressive symptoms: The importance of patients' recognition of depressive symptoms.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The majority of cancer patients with depressive symptoms does not perceive a need for psychological care. Reasons for this are still unclear. We examined the mediating role of cancer patients' perceptions of depressive symptoms in the relationship between depressive symptoms and perceived need for psychological care.

Methods

For this cross-sectional study, we recruited 127 Dutch cancer patients with moderate to severe levels of depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ]-9≥10) who did not receive professional psychological care. Depressive symptoms were measured with the PHQ-9 questionnaire, by using three different depression score operationalizations. We used mediation analyses to test the mediating role of patients' illness perceptions (measured with

SUBMITTER: Bickel EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9292500 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature