Document Type : Research Articles
Authors
1
Department of Epidemiology, Evidence-Based Medicine and Biostatistics, Kazakhstan’s Medical University “KSPH,” Almaty, Kazakhstan.
2
Department of Public Health, Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
3
Department of Communicative Skills, Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
4
Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
5
Department of Psycho-Social Help, Kazakh Institute of Oncology and Radiology, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Abstract
Introduction: Diagnosis of breast cancer is associated with the presence of psychological disorders including depression. There is a lack of study examining the prevalence of depression among newly diagnosed breast cancer patients in Kazakhstan. Objective: This study aims to assess the prevalence and associated sociodemographic and clinical factors of depression symptoms in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Methods: 162 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients at the oncology center in Almaty were recruited for this study. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire on sociodemographic and clinical information and the Beck Depression Inventory-II scale. Results: The mean age of the patients was 54.41 years (SD=8.1). 95% of participants had unilateral breast cancer, and 79% of participants had stage I or stage II breast cancer. 73% of patients said that they do not have reliable social support. 46% of patients had symptoms of moderate depression, and 31% of patients had symptoms of severe depression. According to the multivariate analysis, factors associated with depression symptoms were: social status, household income level, reliability of social support, and stage of breast cancer. Conclusion: The prevalence of depression symptoms is very high among newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Unemployed or retired patients, with a lower household income, and no reliable social support diagnosed with an advanced stage of breast cancer are especially at high risk for developing depression.
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