Psychological Resilience in Adolescent and Young Adult Survivors of Lower Extremity Bone Tumors.

Psychological resilience in adolescent and young adult survivors of lower extremity bone tumors.

Filed under: Depression Treatment

Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2012 Dec 19;
Teall T, Barrera M, Barr R, Silva M, Greenberg M

BACKGROUND: The psychosocial outcomes of young adult survivors of childhood bone tumors are not well known. This study: (a) examined perceived social support (SS) and benefit-finding (BF) with respect to surgical intervention, gender, and age; (b) compared SS and psychological outcomes to normative values; and (c) examined the relationship between these social and psychological outcomes and sexual functioning. PROCEDURE: Twenty-eight participants (18-32 years) completed outcome-specific questionnaires for SS, BF, depression, self-worth, and sexual functioning. Surgical intervention was grouped into limb sparing (LS; allograft-fusion and endoprosthesis) and ablative procedures (AMP; amputation or Van Nes rotationplasty). Age at study was grouped into ?25 or ?26 years of age. RESULTS: Compared to normative values, survivors reported significantly less depressive symptoms (P?=?0.005), and higher self-evaluations of intellectual capabilities (P?=?0.009). No significant differences in SS and BF were found between surgical and age groups. Males perceived significantly higher SS than females (P?=?0.027). Significant positive correlations were found between perceived SS and sexual functioning (r?=?0.397), sexual experiences (r?=?0.423), and satisfaction with sexual relationships (r?=?0.408). Negative correlation was found between global SS and depression scores (r?=?-0.397). Similar correlations were found with the subscales of the SS, depression, and self-worth measures. BF was significantly positively correlated only to SS (r?=?0.552). CONCLUSIONS: Bone tumor survivors, particularly males, demonstrated remarkable psychosocial resiliency with SS possibly serving as a protective factor for survivors’ psychological and sexual functioning. Pediatr Blood Cancer © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
HubMed – depression

Beta-blockers may reduce intrusive thoughts in newly diagnosed cancer patients.

Filed under: Depression Treatment

Psychooncology. 2012 Dec 17;
Lindgren ME, Fagundes CP, Alfano CM, Povoski SP, Agnese DM, Arnold MW, Farrar WB, Yee LD, Carson WE, Schmidt CR, Kiecolt-Glaser JK

OBJECTIVE: A cancer diagnosis provokes significant levels of emotional distress, with intrusive thoughts being the most common manifestation among breast cancer survivors. Cancer-related intrusive thoughts can take the form of emotional memories, flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive images. Emotional arousal after a severe life stressor prolongs adrenergic activation, which in turn may increase risk for post-traumatic symptomatology. However, antihypertensive beta-blockers block adrenergic activation and are known to reduce traumatic memories and related psychological distress. Thus, the current study examined the association between beta-blocker use and the severity of cancer-related intrusive thoughts and related symptoms following a cancer diagnosis. METHODS: The 174 breast and 36 female colorectal cancer patients who had recently undergone diagnostic screening or biopsy included 39 beta-blocker users and 171 non-users. Prior to any cancer treatment including surgery, participants completed questionnaires that included the Impact of Events Scale and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Analyses controlled for age, education, cancer stage, cancer type, days since diagnosis, marital status, depression, and comorbidities. RESULTS: Although the high rates of cancer-related distress in this sample were similar to those of other studies with recently diagnosed patients, beta-blocker users endorsed 32% fewer cancer-related intrusive thoughts than non-users. CONCLUSIONS: Recently diagnosed cancer patients using beta-blockers reported less cancer-related psychological distress. These results suggest that beta-blocker use may benefit cancer patients’ psychological adjustment following diagnosis, and provide a promising direction for future investigations on the pharmacological benefits of beta-blockers for cancer-related distress. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
HubMed – depression

Pain-related symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in the offspring of antenatally depressed mothers and depressed parents: A 31-year follow-up of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966.

Filed under: Depression Treatment

Eur J Pain. 2012 Dec 18;
Pelkonen ES, Mäki PH, Kyllönen MA, Miettunen JA, Taanila AM, Sipilä KK

BACKGROUND: Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are clinical problems involving the masticatory muscles and temporomandibular joints (TMJs). Aspects of the aetiology of TMD are controversial. Many studies have identified an association between depression and TMD. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between both maternal antenatal depression and parental depression during the offspring’s childhood with TMD symptoms of the offspring during adulthood and to evaluate the effect of the offspring’s own depression on this association. METHODS: In the general population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC 1966), mothers of 12,058 children were asked at mid-gestation at the antenatal clinic if they felt depressed. Of these offspring who had data available on TMD symptoms in the computer-aided inquiry at the 31-year field study, a final study data of 5541 subjects was compiled. The Finnish Hospital Discharge Register was used to identify depression in the parents between the years 1972 and 1984 (when offspring were 6-18 years old). RESULTS: There were no statistically significant associations between TMD symptoms and maternal antenatal depressed mood. However, parental depression during the offspring’s childhood associated significantly with facial pain [adjusted odds ratio (OR)?=?1.64; 1.05-2.56] and with TMJ pain at jaw rest (OR?=?1.81; 1.13-2.89), even after adjusting for gender, occupation of the father, family type at birth and the offspring’s self-reported depression in adulthood. CONCLUSION: The risk for TMD symptoms is not elevated in the offspring of antenatally depressed mothers. Parental depression during an offspring’s childhood increases the risk of pain-related TMD symptoms in their early adulthood.
HubMed – depression

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