Department of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Department of Medical Psychology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
Psychooncology. 2022 Jun;31(6):869-878. doi: 10.1002/pon.5912. Epub 2022 Mar 8.
To provide an overview of quantitative data on the impact of cancer on the mental health of patients parenting minor children. We focused on mental health outcomes, their levels and prevalence, and applied measurement tools.
MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycInfo and Web of Science were searched up to March 2021. We included quantitative studies, published in a peer-reviewed journal and reporting outcomes on the mental health (e.g., depression, anxiety) of cancer patients parenting minor children (≤ 21 years). Study quality was assessed based on the National Institute for Health assessment tool for observational studies. This study is registered on PROSPERO (CRD42019141954).
A total of 54 articles based on 36 different studies were included in this systematic review. Studies differ markedly regarding study and sample characteristics (e.g., outcome measures, sample size, parental health status). Depression and anxiety levels range from normal to abnormal, according to applied measurement tools. 7%-83% of parents with cancer have depression scores indicating probable depression and 19%-88% have anxiety scores indicating anxiety disorder.
This review reveals the dimension of mental burden affecting cancer patients parenting minor children. To identify, address and timely treat potentially arising mental health problems and support needs, affected parents should be closely monitored by healthcare professionals and referred to specialized support offers, if necessary. In the context of a comprehensive patient- and family-oriented care, it is highly relevant to integrate mental health (including parental) issues routinely into oncological care by proactively asking for the patient's psychosocial situation and the family status.
提供癌症对有未成年子女的患者心理健康影响的定量数据概述。我们重点关注心理健康结果、其水平和流行率，并应用测量工具。
截至 2021 年 3 月，我们在 MEDLINE、CINAHL、PsycInfo 和 Web of Science 上进行了搜索。我们纳入了定量研究，这些研究发表在同行评议的期刊上，报告了有未成年子女（≤21 岁）的癌症患者的心理健康（例如抑郁、焦虑）结果。根据国家卫生研究院观察性研究评估工具评估研究质量。本研究已在 PROSPERO（CRD42019141954）上注册。
本系统评价共纳入 54 篇基于 36 项不同研究的文章。研究在研究和样本特征方面差异显著（例如，测量工具、样本量、父母健康状况）。根据应用的测量工具，抑郁和焦虑水平从正常到异常不等。7%-83%的癌症患者父母的抑郁评分表明可能患有抑郁症，19%-88%的焦虑评分表明患有焦虑症。
本综述揭示了影响有未成年子女的癌症患者的心理负担程度。为了识别、解决和及时治疗可能出现的心理健康问题和支持需求，医护人员应密切监测受影响的父母，并在必要时将其转介至专门的支持服务。在以患者和家庭为中心的全面护理背景下，通过主动询问患者的社会心理状况和家庭状况，将心理健康（包括父母）问题常规纳入肿瘤学护理中具有重要意义。
