Abstract
Objective: This study provides a longitudinal assessment of distress in longer-term oesophageal cancer carers, while examining illness perception schema as a possible determinant of change in distress over time.
Methods: Oesophageal cancer carers (n=171), 48-months post-diagnosis, were assessed at baseline and 12-months later with the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised, Cancer Coping Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Concerns About Recurrence Scale.
Results: Findings report deterioration from normal to probable anxiety in 35.7% of carers and probable depression in 28.7% carers over time. Fear of recurrence remained stable. Changes in control, consequence and cause beliefs were identified as key determinants of a change in psychological morbidity.
Conclusions: Illness beliefs appear to be valuable targets for psychological intervention to improve wellbeing among carers of people with oesophageal cancer.
Methods: Oesophageal cancer carers (n=171), 48-months post-diagnosis, were assessed at baseline and 12-months later with the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised, Cancer Coping Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Concerns About Recurrence Scale.
Results: Findings report deterioration from normal to probable anxiety in 35.7% of carers and probable depression in 28.7% carers over time. Fear of recurrence remained stable. Changes in control, consequence and cause beliefs were identified as key determinants of a change in psychological morbidity.
Conclusions: Illness beliefs appear to be valuable targets for psychological intervention to improve wellbeing among carers of people with oesophageal cancer.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 663-669 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Psycho-oncology |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Early online date | 20 Sep 2015 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2016 |
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- Change in psychological distress in longer-term oesophageal cancer carers: are clusters of illness perception change a useful determinant?
Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Graham, L., Dempster, M., McCorry, N. K., Donnelly, M., and Johnston, B. T. (2016) Change in psychological distress in longer-term oesophageal cancer carers: are clusters of illness perception change a useful determinant?. Psycho-Oncology, 25: 663–669, which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pon.3993/abstract. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.
