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
Observational Study
. 2015 Sep;42(5):507-16.
doi: 10.1188/15.ONF.507-516.

Gender Differences in Predictors of Quality of Life at the Initiation of Radiation Therapy

Claudia West  1 , Steven M Paul  2 , Laura Dunn  1 , Anand Dhruva  1 , John Merriman  3 , Christine Miaskowski
Affiliations
Observational Study

Gender Differences in Predictors of Quality of Life at the Initiation of Radiation Therapy

Claudia West et al. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2015 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose/objectives: To evaluate gender differences in quality of life (QOL), demographic, clinical, and symptom characteristics.

Design: Prospective, observational.

Setting: Two radiation oncology departments in northern California.

Sample: 185 patients before initiation of radiation therapy (RT).

Methods: At their RT simulation visit, patients completed a demographic questionnaire, a measure of QOL, and symptom-specific scales. Backward elimination regression analyses were conducted to determine the significant predictors of QOL .

Main research variables: QOL, gender, and 20 potential predictors .

Findings: In women, depressive symptoms, functional status, age, and having children at home explained 64% of the variance in QOL. In men, depressive symptoms, state anxiety, number of comorbidities, being a member of a racial or ethnic minority, and age explained 70% of the variance in QOL .

Conclusions: Predictors of QOL differed by gender. Depressive symptom score was the greatest contributor to QOL in both genders. .

Implications for nursing: Nurses need to assess for QOL and depression at the initiation of RT. Knowledge of the different predictors of QOL may be useful in the design of gender-specific interventions to improve QOL.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; gender differences; quality of life; radiation therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Bieling PJ, Antony MM, Swinson RP. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, trait version: Structure and content re-examined. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 1998;36:777–788. - PubMed
    1. Bower JE. Behavioral symptoms in patients with breast cancer and survivors. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2008;26(5):768–777. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2007.14.3248. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brix C, Schleussner C, Fuller J, Roehrig B, Wendt TG, Strauss B. The need for psychosocial support and its determinants in a sample of patients undergoing radiooncological treatment of cancer. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2008;65:541–548. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2008.05.010. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brown PJ, Roose SP. Age and anxiety and depressive symptoms: The effect on domains of quality of life. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2011;26:1260–1266. doi: 10.1002/gps.2675. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bucholz EM, Strait KM, Dreyer RP, Geda M, Spatz ES, Bueno H, Krumholz HM. Effect of low perceived social support on health outcomes in young patients with acute myocardial infarction: Results from the VIRGO (Variation in Recovery: Role of Gender on Outcomes of Young AMI Patients) Study. Journal of American Heart Association. 2014;3 doi: 10.1161/JAHA114.001252. e00 1252. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types