title: Post-traumatic stress symptoms in cancer survivors: relationship to the impact of cancer scale and other associated risk factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of post-traumatic stress symptoms in a sample of cancer survivors and to investigate their association with the impact of cancer, depressive symptoms, and social support.
  
  
  METHODS
  We administered a survey to participants in a cancer survivor registry. It included: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian version (PCL-C), Impact of Cancer Scale (IOC) v.2, and measures of social support, income, and long-term effects of cancer. We performed multivariate analyses to estimate associations between PCL-C and other variables. PCL-C score was examined as a continuous dependent variable and categorically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Responses were available from 162 cancer survivors. Mean age was 51 years (standard deviation (SD) 16); mean time since diagnosis was 11 years (SD 10). Mean PCL-C score was 27 (SD 9, range 17-64); 29% of the sample scored 30 and above, 13% scored 38 and above, 7% scored 44 and above. Linear regression indicated that PCL-C scores were significantly associated with the IOC negative impact summary scale (NIS) (p < 0.001), depressive symptoms (p = 0.003), less social support (p = 0.02), and lower income (p = 0.03). NIS subscale analyses showed that two subscales, life interference (LI) and worry (W), were significantly correlated with PCL-C score (LI: p < 0.001; W: p = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, the IOC NIS was associated with endorsement of PTSD symptoms. Assessing survivors for PTSD symptoms with the PCL-C could detect those individuals in need of psychosocial support. The IOC may be useful for identifying target areas for interventions to reduce these symptoms among cancer survivors.
authors: UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.|Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, USA.
authors: Erin E
authors: EE
authors: Hahn
authors: UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.|Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.|RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, USA.
authors: Ron D
authors: RD
authors: Hays
authors: Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.|RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, USA.
authors: Katherine L
authors: KL
authors: Kahn
authors: UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.|Department of Urology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors: Mark S
authors: MS
authors: Litwin
authors: UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.|Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Research Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors: Patricia A
authors: PA
authors: Ganz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: cancer survivorship; impact of cancer; post-traumatic stress disorder