Psychological distress and coping in nasopharyngeal cancer: an explorative study in Western Europe.
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the head and neck cancer with the greatest impact on patients' quality of life. The aim of this explorative study is to investigate the psychological distress, coping strategies and quality of life of NPC patients in the post-treatment observation period. Twenty-one patients disease-free for at least two years were assessed with a medical and a psycho-oncological evaluation. Clinically relevant depressive symptoms (CRD) were present in 23.8% of patients and 33.3% reported clinically relevant anxiety symptoms (CRA). Patients with CRD and CRA showed a significantly higher score in the use of hopelessness/helplessness and anxious preoccupation coping strategies and a worse quality of life. Even in the post-treatment period, about a quarter of patients showed CRD and CRA. Results showed that patients with high anxiety or depressive symptoms seem to use dysfunctional coping strategies, such as hopelessness and anxious preoccupation, more than patients with lower levels of anxiety and depression. The use of these styles of coping thus seems to be associated to a higher presence of CRA or CRD symptomatology and to a worse quality of life.
a Department of Psychology , University of Turin , Turin , Italy.
Ada
A
Ghiggia
a Department of Psychology , University of Turin , Turin , Italy.
Lorys
L
Castelli
b First Ear Nose and Throat Division, Department of Surgical Sciences , University of Turin , Turin , Italy.
Giuseppe
G
Riva
a Department of Psychology , University of Turin , Turin , Italy.
Valentina
V
Tesio
b First Ear Nose and Throat Division, Department of Surgical Sciences , University of Turin , Turin , Italy.
Erica
E
Provenzano
b First Ear Nose and Throat Division, Department of Surgical Sciences , University of Turin , Turin , Italy.
Mattia
M
Ravera
b First Ear Nose and Throat Division, Department of Surgical Sciences , University of Turin , Turin , Italy.
Massimiliano
M
Garzaro
b First Ear Nose and Throat Division, Department of Surgical Sciences , University of Turin , Turin , Italy.
Giancarlo
G
Pecorari
c Radiation Oncology Unit, Department of Oncology , University of Turin , Turin , Italy.
Pierfrancesco
P
Franco
c Radiation Oncology Unit, Department of Oncology , University of Turin , Turin , Italy.
Ilenia
I
Potenza
c Radiation Oncology Unit, Department of Oncology , University of Turin , Turin , Italy.
Monica
M
Rampino
d Clinical and Oncological Psychology, Department of Neuroscience , 'Città della Salute e della Scienza', Hospital of Turin , Turin , Italy.
Riccardo
R
Torta
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*
Psychological distress; coping; nasopharyngeal cancer; psychoncology; quality of life