Qolp-34. Evaluating Adjustment Disorder and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Brain Tumor Patients
Year: 2021
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Patients with primary and metastatic brain tumors are particularly susceptible to psychiatric comorbidities. Adjustment disorder (AD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are particularly prevalent in cancer patients and benefit from focused treatment; however, few studies have assessed these conditions in both brain tumor patients and their caregivers. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of cancer-related AD and PTSD in both brain tumor patients and caregivers, including patients with gliomas, meningiomas, metastases and other brain tumor types. Patients and caregivers at the University of Washington’s Alvord Brain Tumor Center completed modified ADNM-20 and PCL-5 questionnaires to screen for cancer-related AD and PTSD, respectively. Cutoff scores for a positive screen were set at 47.5 for the ADNM-20 and 33 for the PCL-5. A total of 11 patients and 5 caregivers completed both surveys between December 2019 and May 2021. Two caregivers (40%) screened positive for AD, while none of the brain tumor patients met the cutoff score. One brain tumor patient (9%) screened positive for PTSD, while no caregivers had a positive score. Mean ADNM-20 scores were 34.9 (± 8.8) for brain tumor patients and 34.2 (± 14.8) for caregivers (p = 0.890, Mann-Whitney test). Mean PCL-5 scores were 15.3 (± 10.5) for brain tumor patients and 16.6 (± 11.2) for caregivers (p = 0.681, Mann-Whitney test). Mean scores for ADNM-20 and PCL-5 did not differ between groups, confirming that both caregivers and patients are psychologically affected, and 2 out of 5 caregivers screened positive for AD while 1 out of 11 brain tumor patients screened positive for PTSD. These results demonstrate that cancer-related AD and PTSD can be identified in these populations and suggest a difference in these psychiatric conditions between patients and caregivers. Identifying patients and their caregivers with AD and PTSD could improve their quality of life.
Source: Neuro-Oncology
Authors: Alec Gibson, Jerome Graber
Language: English
Topic: Cancer survivorship and care
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W3215822845