Cancer patients' desire for psychological support: prevalence and implications for screening patients' psychological needs.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate cancer patients' desire for psychological support and to identify patients' sociodemographic, disease-related and psychological factors associated with this desire.


METHODS
The study is part of a multicenter, cross-sectional study assessing cancer patients' needs and desire for psychological support. Patients completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Ways of Coping Checklist, the Cancer Rehabilitation Evaluation System and reported their desire for psychological support.


RESULTS
Among the 381 included patients, women (26%) desired psychological support significantly more often than men (11%) (p<0.001). Patients' desire for psychological support was associated with being younger (OR=0.94; p<0.001 for women and OR=0.93; p=0.007 for men) and having a support-seeking coping (OR=1.10; p=0.010 for women and OR=1.36; p=0.003 for men). Other contextual factors such as difficulties encountered and treatment modalities were diversely associated with women and men's desire for psychological support. Neither women's, nor men's psychological distress was associated with their desire for psychological support.


CONCLUSIONS
One female cancer patient out of four and one male cancer patient out of ten desire psychological support. Results emphasize the need to screen not only for cancer patients' distress but also for their desire for psychological support. This will allow implementing psychological interventions according to patients' needs and desire.
Merckaert
Isabelle
I
Université Libre de Bruxelles, Faculté des Sciences Psychologiques et de l'Education, B-1050Brussels, Belgium.
Libert
Yves
Y
Messin
Sophie
S
Milani
Mina
M
Slachmuylder
Jean-Louis
JL
Razavi
Darius
D
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires