Browsing by Author "Rimmington, Julia"

As the methods for treating cancer keep advancing, the number of cancer survivors continues to grow. The challenge now, is to preserve the cancer patients' quality of life during cancer treatments and after recovery. It is recognised that the cancer experience can lead to serious long-term mental illness, but it is unsure whether the cancer experience can cause post-traumatic stress disorder. The prevalence estimates of cancer-related post-traumatic stress disorder are very heterogeneous: the prevalence estimates range between 0-45%. The broad range of prevalence estimates is caused by differences in research methods and samples between studies. According to a meta-analysis focusing on the prevalence of cancer-related post-traumatic stress disorder, the prevalence is 6.4% when clinical interviews are used for measuring the patients' symptoms. The mediating factors for cancer-related post-traumatic stress disorder are age, sex, form and severity of cancer, used cancer treatments and previous life experiences. Physical illness as a traumatic stressor is significantly different from other traumatic stressors, because the stressor is internally induced, and the fear is caused mainly by the uncertainty of the individual future. It is difficult to determine what aspect of the cancer experience causes the traumatic reaction, because the cancer experience consists of numerous potentially traumatic factors and events. Further studies on the topic should be conducted with broad samples with a balanced representation of different cancers, cancer stages and treatment methods. It is also a possibility that post-traumatic stress disorder is not suitable for describing the psychological strain and trauma caused by the cancer experience. However, it is clear that the psychological stress caused by the cancer experience can be clinically significant and can impair the patient's functional capacity and quality of life. Monitoring the mental health of cancer patients, preventing the formation of traumatic reactions during cancer treatment and providing and developing interventions for cancer patients suffering from cancer-related mental illness, is important for the treatment and rehabilitation of cancer patients and survivors.