title: Anxiety and depression in Turkish breast cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  we investigated the anxiety and depression rates in breast cancer patients (BCPs) and compared their rates with a group of unemployed women attending courses at a local government agency to increase their chances for employment.
  
  
  METHODS
  a total 129 BCPs were included [60 were treated and followed up in Marmara University Hospital (PHG), 69 were from a private oncology clinic (POG)] and 101 healthy people (control group; CG) came from a course for the unemployed. All participants completed the Turkish-language version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean ages of the BCPs and CG were 52.7 ± 13.1 and 38.9 ± 11.9 years, respectively (p=0.001). Compared to the CG, the percentage of housewives was significantly higher in the BCP group (p=0.04). These 2 factors (age and profession) were not independent factors predicting anxiety or depression (p>0.05). The rates of anxiety and depression were 27.9 and 35.7% for BCP, 28.7 and 34.7% for CG, 33.3 and 51.7% for PHG, and 23.2 and 21.7% for POG, respectively. The difference of the rates of depression between the POG and the PHG was significant (p=0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the anxiety and depression rates were not higher in BCPs than in the CG who had a risk factor (such as unemployment) for psychosocial ill health. Being treated and/ or followed up in a private office was related to lower depression rates.
authors.affiliation: Marmara University, School of Medicine, Department of Medical Oncology, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Turhal
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dane
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sinav
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yalcin
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Khorshidi
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zeynep-Yalcin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult