Care givers' depression, anxiety, distress, and somatization as predictors of identical symptoms in cancer patients

Abstract

Context: The critical condition of the cancer patient and the stringent medical procedures do not often warrant the accessibility of the patient for psychological evaluation. Therefore, the study is conceptualized to assess the psychological problems of caregivers, which in turn have their impact upon cancer patients. Aims: The objective of the study was to explore the relationships between depression, anxiety, distress, and somatization in cancer patients and their caregivers along with age, gender, and relationship; and to measure whether these psychological problems of caregivers were predictors of the identical symptoms of the cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Four-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire was used to measure depression, anxiety, distress, and somatization of cancer patients and their caregivers. The sample had 200 participants, with 100 patients (male = 47 and female = 53) and 100 caregivers. (male = 36 and female = 64) selected by purposive sampling method. Statistical Analysis Used: The data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, product.moment correlations, simple and multiple linear regression analyses. Results: Significant correlations were found between cancer patients' depression and anxiety, and caregivers' depression, anxiety, distress, and somatization; patients' distress and somatization, and caregivers' anxiety and age, respectively. It was also found that anxiety was a significant predictor of distress in patients, and that caregivers' depression, anxiety, distress, and somatization significantly predicted depression and anxiety in cancer patients. Conclusions: The association between depression, anxiety, distress, and somatization of caregivers and patients indicates the need for psychological interventions to manage these problems of caregivers, which would in turn help managing the identical symptoms in patients.