Purpose
Cancer diagnosis is associated with psychological distress, which often leads to a significant reduction in adaptation and quality of life. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and related factors of psychological distress in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.
Methods
The study included 138 women scheduled for surgery or neoadjuvant chemotherapy following a recent breast cancer diagnosis at a university hospital in Korea. Psychological distress was assessed using the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Distress Thermometer and problem lists. Data collection occurred from November 1, 2021, to November 30, 2022. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were utilized for data analysis.
Results
The average age of the participants was 51.72 years. Among the 138 participants, 67.4% (n=93) reported moderate to severe levels of psychological distress. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified financial burden (Odds Ratio [OR]=4.32), fears (OR=5.35), and nervousness (OR=5.50) as predictors of moderate to severe psychological distress.
Conclusion
Approximately two-thirds of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients experienced significant psychological distress. Nervousness, fears, and financial burden were significant factors influencing this distress. Therefore, management of psychological distress should be implemented for patients experiencing financial burdens or emotional problems, such as nervousness and fear, from the time of diagnosis.

Purpose
This study aimed to evaluate distress, family resilience, and Quality of Life (QoL) among family caregivers of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and explore whether family resilience moderates the association between distress and QoL.
Methods
This is a cross-sectional study. One hundred seventeen family caregivers of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy were recruited through the oncology outpatient clinic and two oncology wards at a tertiary university hospital. The participants completed self-reported questionnaires, including the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Family Resilience Scale-Cancer, and Caregivers’ Quality of Life Index-Cancer. Descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and hierarchical regression analysis were used for statistical analysis.
Results
The mean distress score was 15.31±6.91, the mean family resilience score was 112.71±14.11, and the mean QoL score was 71.19±18.90. After controlling for potential covariates, distress was found to be negatively associated with QoL (β=-.45, p<.001), whereas family resilience was positively associated with QoL (β=.49, p<.001), explaining 62.8% of the variance. However, family resilience did not moderate the association between distress and QoL in this study.
Conclusion
Distress and family resilience are crucial factors associated with QoL in the caregivers of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. This finding indicates that oncology nurses should develop interventions to relieve distress and enhance family resilience to improve family caregivers’ QoL. Further studies are required to confirm the moderating role of family resilience.

Citations

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  Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing.2024; 21(5): 528.     CrossRef
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  Jianfan Ke, Jialing Lin, Xiujing Lin, Wei-ti Chen, Feifei Huang
  European Journal of Oncology Nursing.2023; 66: 102400.     CrossRef
• Family resilience and its influencing factors among advanced cancer patients and their family caregivers: a multilevel modeling analysis
  Panpan Cui, Jiaoxia Shi, Shifeng Li, Mikiyas Amare Getu, Ruibo Wang, Changying Chen
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