Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Jun 1;31(16):1961-9.
doi: 10.1200/JCO.2012.46.2101. Epub 2013 Apr 22.

Receipt of psychosocial care among cancer survivors in the United States

Laura P Forsythe  1 , Erin E Kent, Kathryn E Weaver, Natasha Buchanan, Nikki A Hawkins, Juan L Rodriguez, A Blythe Ryerson, Julia H Rowland
Affiliations

Receipt of psychosocial care among cancer survivors in the United States

Laura P Forsythe et al. J Clin Oncol. .

Abstract

Purpose: Given the importance of psychosocial care for cancer survivors, this study used population-based data to characterize survivors who reported a discussion with health care provider(s) about the psychosocial effects of cancer and who reported using professional counseling or support groups (PCSG) and tested associations between receipt of psychosocial care and satisfaction with care.

Patients and methods: We examined survivors of adult cancers from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey (N = 1,777). Multivariable logistic regression models examined factors associated with receipt of and satisfaction with psychosocial care.

Results: Most survivors (55.1%) reported neither provider discussions nor use of PCSG; 31.4% reported provider discussion only, 4.4% reported use of PCSG only, and 8.9% reported both. Non-Hispanic blacks (v non-Hispanic whites), married survivors, survivors of breast cancer (v prostate or less prevalent cancers), those treated with chemotherapy, and survivors reporting past research study/clinical trial participation were more likely to report provider discussion(s) (P < .01). Hispanics (v non-Hispanic whites), survivors age 40 to 49 years (v ≤ 39 years), survivors of breast cancer (v melanoma or less prevalent cancers), those diagnosed ≤ 1 year ago (v > 5 years ago), survivors treated with radiation, and past research participants were more likely to report use of PCSG (P < .05). Survivors reporting any psychosocial care were more likely to be "very satisfied" with how their needs were met (P < .001).

Conclusion: Many survivors do not report a discussion with providers about the psychosocial effects of cancer, which reflects a missed opportunity to connect survivors to psychosocial services. These data can benchmark the success of efforts to improve access to cancer-related psychosocial care.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

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

Figures

Fig 1.
Fig 1.
Receipt of psychosocial care among cancer survivors. Weighted percent and 95% CI (error bars). PCSG, professional counseling or support groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Massie MJ. Prevalence of depression in patients with cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. 2004;32:57–71. - PubMed
    1. Armes J, Crowe M, Colbourne L, et al. Patients' supportive care needs beyond the end of cancer treatment: A prospective, longitudinal survey. J Clin Oncol. 2009;27:6172–6179. - PubMed
    1. Pardue SF, Fenton MV, Rounds LR. The social impact of cancer. Dimens Oncol Nurs. 1989;3:5–13. - PubMed
    1. Mellon S, Northouse LL, Weiss LK. A population-based study of the quality of life of cancer survivors and their family caregivers. Cancer Nurs. 2006;29:120–131. - PubMed
    1. Lobb EA, Joske D, Butow P, et al. When the safety net of treatment has been removed: Patients' unmet needs at the completion of treatment for haematological malignancies. Patient Educ Couns. 2009;77:103–108. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms