Study of psychosocial factors and patient stress with oncological diseases

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Experts estimate that by 2025, the incidence of cancer globally will increase to 19.3 million, and deaths will reach about 11.4 million. Despite advances in Medical Oncology, cancer creates an evocative level of stress for all those diagnosed with cancer. PURPOSE: to study psychosocial factors and distress of patients with oncological diseases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The research is descriptive, crosssectional. Sample: 89 patients with malignant tumour, hospitalized in the oncology clinic. Methods: sociological, statistical. Sociological questionnaire for assessing the level of distress, adapted according to NCCN. Study and analysis of medical documentation. RESULTS: Cancer generates various changes in the patient's environment, both at personal, family, work, psychosocial intervention, in this way this suffering has a high risk of negative repercussions on their quality of life. The psychological response to cancer is a complex process, in which normal reactions can turn into psychopathological states, so according to the results, 82.02% of patients go through an emotional and existential crisis in the form of psychological decompensation. The level of suffering does not vary between types of cancer, except for lung cancer, patients with this type had higher levels of distress compared to other types of cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer has a huge psychosocial connotation in the population and creates a huge emotional impact, has generated a practical scope of health psychology, conditioned by the recognition of the role influenced by the psyche and human behaviour in the etiology and evolution of the disease. The research hypothesis was confirmed by the fact that a multitude of psychosocial factors influence the level of stress, cause distress and have a negative impact on the quality of life of patients diagnosed with cancer.