Evaluation of Anxiety and Depression in Women Undergoing Mastectomy in Greece

Abstract

Background: To determine the levels of depression and anxiety in women undergoing mastectomy and to investigate the factors related to the onset of anxiety and depression on the eve of the surgery.

Methods: This is a prospective observational study. The sample of the study consisted of 82 women with breast cancer who are going to undergo surgery. The assessment of patient anxiety and depression was done with the HADS anxiety and depression hospital scale.

Results: The study sample was 82 patients aged 56.8 ± 12.9 years. Most of them were married (68.3%), had children (87.5%), were Greek (93.6%), Orthodox Christians (97.4%), housewives (28%), and retired (23.2%). In total, 70 (85.4%) participants would be subjected to single mastectomy and 12 (14.6%) both of them. More than half of respondents (51.9%) smoked, while 32.7% consumed alcohol. 51.2% had pathological stress levels and 31.7% pathological levels of depression. Participants with abnormal levels of anxiety were significantly younger (p < 0.05), smoked at a significantly lower rate (p < 0.05), and made significantly fewer cigarettes per day (p < 0.05). Participants with abnormal levels of depression were significantly younger (p < 0.05), significantly more "other" (p < 0.05) and "other" (p < 0.05) and had a significantly higher educational level (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: The factors found to affect participants stress levels were young age, reduced smoking rates, and the smallest number of cigarettes per day, while the factors found to affect participants' levels of depression were the young age, the other ethnicity except for Greek, the other religion except Christianity, and the highest educational level.

Keywords: Anxiety; Breast cancer; Depression; Mastectomy.