Kyumin Kim, Harin Kim, Joohee Lee, Inn-Kyu Cho, Myung Hee Ahn, Ki Young Son, Jeong Eun Kim, Hee Jeong Kim, Sang Min Yoon, So Hee Kim, Moon Jung Kwon, Hwa Jung Kim, Su-Jin Koh, Seyoung Seo, Seockhoon Chung
Cancer Res Treat. 2022;54(3):671-679. Published online September 17, 2021
Purpose Literature is scarce regarding cancer care utilization during the massive outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Republic of Korea. We investigated functional impairments in mental health and their relationships with depression, anxiety regarding the viral epidemic, and disruptions in healthcare service utilization among cancer patients in the COVID-19 pandemic era.
Materials and Methods We used an online survey with questions related to the disturbances faced by patients with cancer in utilizing healthcare services in the pandemic era. Current mental health status was assessed using the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 (SAVE-6) scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), Cancer-Related Dysfunctional Beliefs about Sleep Scale (C-DBS), and Fear of COVID-19 over Cancer (FCC).
Results Among the 221 responders, 95 (43.0%) reported disruptions in healthcare service utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic. Logistic regression analysis revealed that functional impairment in the mental health of these patients was expected due to disruptions in healthcare service utilization, high levels of depression, anxiety regarding the viral epidemic, fear of COVID over cancer, and low resilience. Mediation analysis showed that patient resilience and cancer-related dysfunctional beliefs about sleep partially mediated the effects of viral anxiety on functional impairment.
Conclusion In this pandemic era, patients with cancer experience depression, anxiety regarding the viral epidemic, and disruptions in healthcare service utilization, which may influence their functional impairments in mental health.
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