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Prevalence and Predictors of Psychological Distress Among Women With Ovarian Cancer

From the Fox Chase Cancer Center, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Temple University Hospital, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA; and Cooper Hospital, Camden, NJ

Address reprint requests to Tina R. Norton, PhD, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Division of Population Science, 510 Township Line Rd, 1st Floor, Cheltenham, PA 19012; e-mail: tr_norton@fccc.edu

PURPOSE: To identify the prevalence of psychological distress among women with ovarian cancer and to examine the association between these symptoms of distress and demographic and medical variables.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Participants were 143 women with ovarian cancer. Forty-eight percent of participants had been diagnosed with advanced-stage disease (stage III or IV) and most (80%) were currently receiving treatment. Psychological distress was assessed with the following measures: the Beck Depression Inventory, the Mental Health Inventory, the Impact of Events Scale, and a questionnaire regarding mental health service use.

RESULTS: Approximately one fifth of women reported moderate to severe levels of distress, and more than half reported high stress responses to their cancer and its treatment. Most participants (60%) were not using any mental health services or psychotropic medications. There was also evidence to suggest that younger patients, patients with more advanced or recurrent disease, and patients who had more recently been diagnosed with ovarian cancer experienced greater psychological distress.

CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that psychological distress and high stress responses to cancer are prevalent among women with ovarian cancer, suggesting they should be carefully evaluated to determine whether treatment for these symptoms is warranted.

Authors' disclosures of potential conflicts of interest are found at the end of this article.

Supported by grant R01 CA85566 from the National Institutes of Health (S.L.M.) and by a training grant from the National Cancer Institute (R25 CA57708-10).

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