Exploring the contribution of psychosocial factors to fatigue in patients with advanced incurable cancer
- Advanced Cancer;
- Oncology;
- Fatigue;
- Perpetuating Factors;
- Psychosocial Factors
Abstract
Objective
Fatigue
is the most frequently occurring and distressing symptom in patients
with advanced cancer, caused by multiple factors. Neither a specific
histological diagnosis of malignancy nor the type of anticancer
treatment seem to be strongly related to fatigue, which support the idea
that other factors may play a role. This study investigated to what
extent the model of fatigue-perpetuating factors that is known for
cancer survivors was applicable for patients with advanced cancer.
Methods
Patients
on active treatment for various incurable cancers were asked to
complete the:
- Checklist Individual Strength,
- Subscale fatigue severity and physical activity,
- the Acceptance scale of the Illness Cognition Questionnaire,
- the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale,
- the Fatigue Catastrophizing Scale,
- the Symptom Checklist subscale sleep,
- the van Sonderen Social Support List-Discrepancies.
- Checklist Individual Strength,
- Subscale fatigue severity and physical activity,
- the Acceptance scale of the Illness Cognition Questionnaire,
- the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale,
- the Fatigue Catastrophizing Scale,
- the Symptom Checklist subscale sleep,
- the van Sonderen Social Support List-Discrepancies.
Results
The
questionnaires were filled in by 137 patients. Inappropriate coping,
fear of progression, fatigue catastrophizing, discrepancies in social
support, depressive mood, self reported physical activity, and sleeping
problems were all related to fatigue severity in univariate analyses, of
which the latter two were significant in a multivariate linear
regression analysis.
Conclusion
This
study tested fatigue-perpetuating factors known to be of relevance in
cancer survivors, for their relation with fatigue severity in palliative
patients.
We demonstrated that these factors were also relevant for patients on palliative treatment.
On the basis of our results, we suggest clinicians confronted with palliative patients with serious fatigue to address sleeping problems and promote physical activity.
In case of persistent fatigue, personalized cognitive behavioral therapy can be considered.
Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
We demonstrated that these factors were also relevant for patients on palliative treatment.
On the basis of our results, we suggest clinicians confronted with palliative patients with serious fatigue to address sleeping problems and promote physical activity.
In case of persistent fatigue, personalized cognitive behavioral therapy can be considered.
Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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