Worse Depression Profiles Are Associated With Higher Symptom Burden and Poorer Quality of Life in Patients With Gynecologic Cancer.
Alejandra Calvo-Schimmel, Marilyn J Hammer, Alexi A Wright and 9 others
PMID 38259059WHAT IT FOUND
Worse depression profiles were associated with higher anxiety, fatigue, sleep disturbance, pain, and poorer quality of life among patients with gynecologic cancer receiving chemotherapy.
Nurses can use these patterns to target screening and referrals.
Key findings
01The analysis grouped patients into Low (60.1%), High (35.1%), and Very High (4.8%) depression profiles.
02Compared with the Low profile, the High and Very High profiles had higher trait and state anxiety, evening fatigue, sleep disturbance, and pain interference.
03Compared with the Low profile, the High and Very High profiles had lower psychological and total quality of life scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was relatively homogeneous in race/ethnicity, education, and income, so results may not generalize to all patients with gynecologic cancer. The Very High depression group was small, so differences involving that group may be unstable. Information on antidepressants and other symptom management treatments was not collected, so these could have influenced depression and symptom scores. Depression was followed over only two chemotherapy cycles, so longer-term patterns are unknown. Symptoms and quality of life were compared at enrollment, so the study shows associations rather than change over time.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The publication types list NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the depression profiles as proof that depression caused higher symptoms or poorer quality of life. The study measured associations, not treatment effects, and the Very High group was small.