Depression and Coping Strategies among Cancer patients attending Outpatient department of Radiation Oncology Unit, West Bengal, India

Abstract

Author(s): Prof. Lakshmi Pandit1*, Niyati Das2, Sovana Roy3, Jogamaya Pattnaik4, Palash Das5, Rajendra Sahoo6, Sivasankari Varadharasu7

Background: One of the biggest health problems in the world is depression. Patients with cancer are more likely to experience it because of their inability to cope with the treatment modality and its ongoing schedule. Objective: To determine the prevalence of depression, associated factors, and the relationship between coping strategies and depression among patients with cancer. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 197 patients with cancer. Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and coping strategies were measured using the Brief COPE scale. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, and Spearman's correlation tests. Results: Overall, 49% of participants had moderate-to-severe depression. Depression was significantly associated with female gender, lack of family support, pain, metastasis, body image changes, advanced cancer stage, treatment type, and poor physical functioning (p<0.05). Religion (83%), acceptance (77%), and active coping (72%) were the most frequently used coping strategies. Behavioral disengagement (ρ=0.54), denial (ρ=0.42), and substance use (ρ=0.36) were positively correlated with depression, whereas acceptance (ρ=-0.45), active coping (ρ=-0.38), positive reframing (ρ=-0.34), planning (ρ=-0.31), and religion (ρ=-0.22) were negatively correlated. Conclusion: Depression was highly prevalent among patients with cancer. Routine psychological screening and interventions promoting adaptive coping may reduce depressive symptoms and improve comprehensive oncology care.

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