Post-traumatic stress disorder in cancer: a review.
The stressor criterion for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been recently modified to include life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer, as precipitating traumatic events. We sought to examine the empiric evidence for cancer's inclusion as a traumatic stressor. Nine published studies assessing PTSD in cancer survivors and/or family members were identified in the literature. The studies were predominantly small (n<100) and cross-sectional. Study target groups included one or more of the following: children cancer survivors, parents of pediatric survivors and adult cancer survivors. There was considerable inter- and intra-study variability in the type and stage of cancer diagnosed and in the type of treatment regimens participants had undergone. Only three studies utilized a validated PTSD diagnostic tool to evaluate the disorder. Evidence of full-blown PTSD was found for adults and parents, and for children in all but one instance. These results suggest that a PTSD symptom assessment provides valuable clinical information concerning the post-treatment adjustment of cancer survivors and their immediate family members.
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Derald H. Ruttenberg Cancer Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA. meredith.smith@mountsinai.org
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Peyser
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Vogl
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D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012803:Sick Role; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology