Research shows that certain forms of abuse have a negative effect on the well-being of women cancer patients
Many cancer patients often experience symptoms of anxiety and depression. To examine these indications further, researchers recently studied the effects of intimate partner violence (IPV) – including physical, psychological, and sexual – and childhood sexual abuse on a woman’s levels of depression, perceived stress, and cancer-related well-being.
The cross-sectional study, published in the Journal of Women’s Health, included 553 women from the Kentucky Cancer Registry and newly diagnosed with either breast, cervical, or colorectal cancer.
Through phone interviews, University of Kentucky researchers found that IPV can have a significant impact on a woman’s depressive symptoms. Women involved in the study who had experienced IPV were significantly more likely to report depressive symptoms at cancer diagnosis compared with cancer patients who had never experienced IPV. These results suggest that a woman’s depressive symptoms regarding a cancer diagnosis may be more directly associated with IPV.
Furthermore, incidence of higher stress levels and comorbid conditions beyond the cancer diagnosis were discovered in those women who had experienced childhood sexual abuse.
“These data suggest that identifying these forms of abuse in cancer patients may provide healthcare providers with helpful information to better support and improve the well-being of female cancer patients,” said first author Ann L. Coker, associate dean for research, professor and Endowed Chair in the Center for Research on Violence Against Women at the University of Kentucky. “Clinicians could improve physical and psychological functioning of women with cancer by asking women about their current and lifetime experience with these forms of abuse and providing appropriate referrals and services depending on the individual woman’s experiences.”
Source: University of Kentucky.