Health and well-being in older married female cancer survivors.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate differences between older married female cancer survivors and a matched comparison sample on physical health and on effects of health on depressive symptomatology.


METHODS
National survey data from the 1992 Health and Retirement Study.


METHODS
Married women who reported having been diagnosed with cancer (N=245) and married women who did not report a cancer diagnosis but who matched the survivors on age, race, and ethnicity (N=245).


METHODS
Outcome measure was depressive symptomatology (modified CES-D). Predictors were multiple indicators of health and demographic characteristics.


RESULTS
Cancer survivors reported significantly worse health on all indicators but not higher depressive symptomatology after health and demographics were controlled. Predictors of higher depression were fatigue, pain, and lower education. These effects did not differ between groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Health impairment in cancer survivors highlights the need for ongoing follow-up care. Survivorship was associated indirectly with higher depressive symptomatology through its relationship with health impairment.
Townsend
Aloen L
AL
Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106-7164, USA. alt7@cwru.edu
Ishler
Karen J
KJ
Bowman
Karen F
KF
Rose
Julia Hannum
JH
Peak
Nicole Juszczak
NJ
D000367:Age Factors; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States