The study covered in this summary was published on medRxiv as a preprint and has not yet been peer reviewed.
Key Takeaway
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The COVID-19 pandemic did not appear to directly impact the psychological well-being of patients with cancer, after considering socioeconomic status. Only income had a significant impact on patients’ psychological distress.
Why This Matters
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The findings suggest that poverty is the most important risk factor for psychological distress among patients with cancer and outweighs the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Study Design
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Researchers screened 1329 patients with cancer for symptoms of anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, and fatigue between 2018 and 2022, using a questionnaire.
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The sample included 636 patients in the reference timeframe before the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2018 to February 2020), and 693 within the first 2 years of the pandemic years (March 2020 to June 2022).
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Standardized assessment instruments were used assess and score symptoms of depression, anxiety, fatigue, and posttraumatic stress. The tools included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Post-Traumatic Symptom Scale, and a visual analog scale to assess fatigue.
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Researchers looked at income in three categories of net monthly household income — below 1300 euros, 1300-2200 euros, and more than 2200 euros.
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Data were collected at Vienna General Hospital, and income was based on poverty thresholds in Austria.
Key Results
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The pandemic had no impact on psychological distress after accounting for socioeconomic factors.
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Lower income was the most significant predictor of psychological distress and was independent of the pandemic.
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As determined by post-hoc analyses of variance (ANOVAs), patients with the lowest income level showed a significantly higher psychological symptom burden in all categories assessed (anxiety, depression, fatigue, and posttraumatic stress symptoms) compared with those who had the highest income level; the highest mean difference in scores was found for depression symptoms.
Limitations
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Study participation was voluntary, which could bias results.
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Psychological factors were not confirmed by mental health professionals.
Disclosures
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No grant from any funding agency, commercial, or not-for-profit sector was reported.
This is a summary of a preprint research study, “The impact of COVID-19 and socioeconomic status on psychological distress in cancer patients.” The study has not been peer reviewed. The full text can be found at medRxiv.org.
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