The Impact of COVID-19 on Anxiety Levels of Cancer Patients
Duygu Bayir Garbioglu1, Arif Garbioglu2, Nazan Demir1, Mehmet Erdem Uzun3, Mustafa Ersoy1, Bulent Yildiz1, Murat Dincer11Department of Medical Oncology, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Faculty of Medicine, Eskisehir, Turkey, 2The Council of Forensic Medicine, Eskisehir Forensic Medicine Branch Office, Eskisehir, Turkey, 3Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Health Sciences, Bursa Yuksek Ihtisas Training and Research Hospital, Bursa, Turkey
Objectives: Coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) has caused serious anxiety and fear around the world. Anxiety level may be higher in risky and chronic groups such as cancer patients. In our study, it was aimed to evaluate the factors becoming potentially effective on the anxiety status and levels of cancer patients during the pandemic by means of questionnaires and psychiatric scales. Methods: In this study, HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and STAI 1-2 scales (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) were applied for psychological evaluation through a questionnaire to help learning opinions on COVID-19 of 180 patients who were included in consecutively and whose follow-up and treatment continue at university hospital of oncology unit. Results: In the study, it draws attention that more than half of the patients have a fear related to COVID-19. Median hads anxiety score of the patients was found as; 6 (0-18), depression score; 6 (0-17), median STAI-1 score; 38 (25-65), median STAI-2 score; 43 (23-74). In multivariate analysis, the followings were found as the independent risk factors related to the fear of COVID-19; female gender, high anxiety and STAI-2 scores as well as psychiatric disease presence in family and old age. Conclusion: It is known that increased anxiety levels are observed in normal times in cancer patients. In this regard, the rates of anxiety level during the pandemic period in this patient group were found to be higher than the rates in the studies conducted before pandemic period. Keywords: Coronavirus 2019 disease, cancer, anxiety, fear, STAI-1, STAI-2, HADS
Cite This Article
Garbioglu D, Garbioglu A, Demir N, Uzun M, Ersoy M, Yildiz B, Dincer M. The Impact of COVID-19 on Anxiety Levels of Cancer Patients. EJMI. 2021; 5(4): 448-453
Corresponding Author: Duygu Bayir Garbioglu