Psychological impact of lung cancer: A cross-sectional study

Kashish Dutta¹, Varinder Saini¹, Nitin Gupta², Kranti Garg^1
1 Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, India
² Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, India

Correspondence Address:
Kashish Dutta,
Senior Resident, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, GMCH, Chandigarh - 160 030
India

Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None

DOI: 10.4103/ijsp.ijsp_49_20

Background: Lung cancer patients and caregivers suffer psychological side effects that encompass poorer treatment outcomes, and are associated with negative quality of life outcomes. Therefore, psychological screening and appropriate intervention of both patients and caregiver is an essential part of advanced cancer care. Aims and Objectives: To assess for psychological distress and its correlates in newly diagnosed lung cancer patients and their caregivers. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted among 40 lung cancer patients and their caregivers. The patients and caregivers were administered psychological questionnaire, and their psychological attributes were thus studied. Normality of quantitative data was checked by measures of Kolmogorov Smirnov tests. Comparisons for two groups were made by t-test. Proportions were compared using Chi-square or Fisher's exact test whichever applicable. Results: Twenty nine patients (72.5%) and twenty five caregivers (62.5%) had GHQ>=3 (P value=0.34). Nineteen patients (47.5%) and twenty one caregivers (52.5%) were diagnosed as having psychiatric diagnosis (P value=0.65). Sex, educational level, residence, and monthly income did not have any significant association with the psychological comorbidities. The other psychiatric scales used had a significant correlation with the results of GHQ and psychiatric morbidity (P value=0.00). Conclusions: Psychological comorbidities are found in lung cancer patients and their caregivers to a significant extent. The treating physicians should screen lung cancer patients and their caregivers for psychological comorbidities and manage them adequately.

Keywords: Caregivers, lung cancer patients, psychological morbidity