title: [Psychosocial burden and subjective experience of melanoma patients in the ambulant follow-up].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The ambulant follow-up is established for early detection of metastases thus improving the survival probability of tumor patients. In spite of the safety aimed at, follow-up also puts a burden on tumor patients and has effects on their quality of life.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate within the scope of follow-up, to collect data on the psychosocial burden on melanoma patients in relation to the predictors (medical factors, psychological variables, sociodemographic data) in order to define a "burden-risk patient".
  
  
  METHODS
  From June to December 1997, 615 ambulant melanoma patients were questioned with the aid of the Hornheide questionnaire and the German version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-D).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The leading predictors for a psychosocial burden were found to be fear and depression, as well as tumor thickness, metastases, year of operation, sex, age, and marital status/household. With the aid of these results, a burden-risk patient could be defined: female sex, age between 40 and 59 years, divorced or widowed, separately living, with a tumor thickness of more than 4 mm, first diagnosis less than 3 years ago and prevailing metastases. This risk patient had also a high probability of having significant fear and depression values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of the Hornheide questionnaire for identifying the psychosocial burden is suitable to collect the individual burdens of the patients in particular and within a short period. In the same way, the needs of the patients can be met in particular, and thus his/her quality of life can be increased.
authors.affiliation: Hautklinik der Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blum
authors.forename: Dorothea
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Blum
authors.forename: Waltraud
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Stroebel
authors.forename: Gernot
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rassner
authors.forename: Claus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garbe
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hautzinger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012727:Sex Characteristics