Psychological burden at the time of diagnosis among Mexican breast cancer patients

• Published in: Psycho-oncology (Chichester, England) England), 2017-01, Vol.26 (1), p.133-136
• Main Authors: Pérez‐Fortis, Adriana, Schroevers, Maya J., Fleer, Joke, Alanís‐López, Patricia, Veloz‐Martínez, María Guadalupe, Ornelas‐Mejorada, Rosa Elena, Sanderman, Robbert, Ranchor, Adelita V., Sánchez Sosa, Juan José
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; Breast cancer; Industrialized nations; Medical diagnosis; Mexican people; Minority & ethnic groups; Psychology; Systematic review
• ISSN: 1057-9249; 1099-1611
• DOI: 10.1002/pon.4098

Research on psychological complaints among breast cancer patients has mainly focused on patients living i n developed countries, and has lagged behind in patients living in developing countries. Prior studies with breast cancer patients from developed countries found a prevalence of 15% to 21% for anxiety and 3% to 39% for depression. In contrast, a meta-analysis among minority patients with different types of cancer showed that Hispanic patients residing in the USA had the highest levels of distress and depression compared with other ethnic minority groups. Currently, little is known about the prevalence of psychological complaints among newly diagnosed Mexican breast cancer patients. It becomes important to investigate these issues for the planning of psychosocial care, given the high demand of services in the Mexican healthcare system. To our knowledge, only two studies have investigated anxiety and depression in Mexican breast cancer patients. The prevalence reported in these studies ranged between 14% and 27% for anxiety and between 14% and 28% for depression. Patients in one of these studies were at the treatment phase, but one study did not report the evaluation phase of the patients.Thus, it is difficult to draw a conclusion regarding the psychological state of Mexican breast cancer patients at the time of diagnosis. Previous research findings suggest that the stress experienced after a cancer diagnosis i s a strong predictor of adaptation to the disease. Hence, investigating the initial emotions experienced by cancer patients after diagnosis could be helpful to identify patients who are at risk of poor adaptation and might benefit from psychosocial care. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in newly diagnosed Mexican breast cancer patients. Moreover, we evaluated the influence of sociodemographic and medical factors on these psychological outcomes.