title: The prevalence and implications of elderly inpatients' desire for a formal psychological help at the start of cancer treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about elderly cancer inpatients' desire for psychological help.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate whether elderly cancer inpatients well informed about their diagnosis expressed a desire to receive formal psychological help at the start of their cancer treatment. The characteristics of the patients that sought help were examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study assessed 650 consecutive cancer inpatients that were 65 years of age and older when they started treatment for breast, colorectal, ovarian, lung, prostate or haematological cancers. Disease-related, medical and psychological characteristics of these patients were assessed using validated tools.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Distress and cognitive impairment were experienced by 37% and 46% of elderly cancer inpatients, respectively. However, only 12% of patients reported a desire for formal psychological help (14% of women vs 9% of men). The patient characteristics examined were found to be weakly associated with this desire (this explained 16% of the variance for women and 14% for men). For the female subgroup, this desire was associated with age [<75 years vs ≥75 years; odds ratio (OR) = 2.57], marital status (without a partner vs with a partner; OR = 2.26) and distress (OR = 1.13). For the male subgroup, loss of functional autonomy (OR = 1.41) and pain (OR = 1.22) were relevant characteristics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although more than about four out of 10 elderly cancer inpatients in this study experience distress or cognitive impairment, only about one out of 10 expresses a desire for formal psychological help. Therefore, an appropriate sequence of interventions should be scheduled in order to offer them an optimal formal psychological help.
authors: Faculté des Sciences Psychologiques et de l'Éducation, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; Service de Médecine Psychosomatique, Cliniques Universitaires de Mont-Godinne, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors: Stéphanie
authors: S
authors: Dubruille
authors: Yves
authors: Y
authors: Libert
authors: Isabelle
authors: I
authors: Merckaert
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Reynaert
authors: Sandrine
authors: S
authors: Vandenbossche
authors: Myriam
authors: M
authors: Roos
authors: Dominique
authors: D
authors: Bron
authors: Darius
authors: D
authors: Razavi
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D015995:Prevalence; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: cancer; distress; elderly; oncology; psychological help