Men's help-seeking in the first year after diagnosis of localised prostate cancer.
This study describes sources of support utilised by men with localised prostate cancer in the first year after diagnosis and examines characteristics associated with help-seeking for men with unmet needs. A cross-sectional survey of 331 patients from a population-based sample who were in the first year after diagnosis (M = 9.6, SD = 1.9) was conducted to assess sources of support, unmet supportive care needs, domain-specific quality of life and psychological distress. Overall, 82% of men reported unmet supportive care needs. The top five needs were sexuality (58%); prostate cancer-specific (57%); psychological (47%); physical and daily living (41%); and health system and information (31%). Professional support was most often sought from doctors (51%). Across most domains, men who were older (Ps ≤ 0.03), less well educated (Ps ≤ 0.04) and more depressed (Ps ≤ 0.05) were less likely to seek help for unmet needs. Greater sexual help-seeking was related to better sexual function (P = 0.03), higher education (P ≤ 0.03) and less depression (P = 0.05). Unmet supportive care needs are highly prevalent after localised prostate cancer diagnosis with older age, lower education and higher depression apparent barriers to help-seeking. Interventions that link across medicine, nursing and community based peer support may be an accessible approach to meeting these needs. Clinical Trial Registry: Trial Registration: ACTRN12611000392965.
Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Qld.|Cancer Council Queensland, Fortitude Valley, Qld.
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Hyde
Exercise Medicine Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA.|University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld.
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Newton
Exercise Medicine Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA.
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Galvão
Exercise Medicine Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA.|University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld.|Department of Urology, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Qld.
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Gardiner
Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Qld.
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Occhipinti
Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Qld.|Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, St Leonards, NSW.
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Lowe
Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health, School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
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Wittert
Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Qld.|Cancer Council Queensland, Fortitude Valley, Qld.|Exercise Medicine Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA.|University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld.|Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, St Leonards, NSW.
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Chambers
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006304:Health Status; D000066505:Help-Seeking Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010379:Peer Group; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D011793:Queensland; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological; D019529:Sexuality; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
help-seeking; prostate cancer; supportive care needs; survivorship