title: Age-specific norms and determinants of anxiety and depression in 731 women with breast cancer recruited through a population-based cancer registry.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine population norms and determinants of anxiety and depression in a population-based sample of 731 women with breast cancer (aged 23-60 years) with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS). The prevalence of 'probable' psychological morbidity due to anxiety was 23% and due to depression was 3%. When the women identified as 'possible' cases were included, the respective proportions were 45 and 12%. Higher anxiety was present in younger, less educated women not born in Australia. There was no clear pattern of risk factors for depression. These population-based findings highlight the need for clinicians to be aware that age, education and country of birth may identify a particularly vulnerable subgroup. While brief scales such as the HADS are limited in their ability to accurately predict a clinical diagnosis, high scores identify those who may warrant referral for clinical evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Genetic Epidemiology, School of Population Health, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Australia. richardo@unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Osborne
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Elsworth
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hopper
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support