Msenga Ummy, Ambikile Joel S, Buluba Salome E
Department of Clinical Nursing, School of Nursing, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
PLoS One. 2025 Jul 3;20(7):e0326749. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0326749. eCollection 2025.
Anxiety and depression are the prevailing mental illnesses in low and middle-income nations. The shock of receiving breast cancer diagnosis and it's effects on daily life make it perplexing to adjust to the situation, hence anxiety and or depression symptoms develop. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with anxiety and depression symptoms among women diagnosed with breast cancer at Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
We conducted an analytical quantitative cross-sectional study between May and June 2023 among 384 women diagnosed with breast cancer using consecutive sampling. We used a pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire to collect data and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS) version 23 for data analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with anxiety and depression symptoms, and a p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
We found a relatively high prevalence of anxiety (44.8%) and depression (50.5%). Participants who didn't know their stage of cancer [adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR): 0.39; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.19, 0.83; p = 0.014]; in early stage of cancer [aOR: 0.36; 95%CI: 0.16, 0.81; p = 0.014]; with low state of hope [aOR: 0.52; 95%CI: 0.31, 0.86; p = 0.012]; and low cognitive reappraisal [aOR: 2.09; 95%CI: 1.33, 3.28; p < 0.001] were significantly associated with anxiety. Those without partners [aOR: 2.56; 95%CI: 1.59, 4.10; p < 0.001]; didn't know their stage of cancer [aOR: 0.38; 95%CI: 0.17, 0.86; p = 0.020]; receiving radiotherapy treatment [aOR: 3.86; 95% CI: 1.34, 11.08; p = 0.012]; and low cognitive reappraisal [aOR: 2.41; 95%CI: 1.52, 3.83; p < 0.001] were significantly associated with depression.
Symptoms of depression and anxiety were very common among women diagnosed with breast cancer in this study. We strongly advise for proper care including routine screening from mental health specialists to improve treatment outcomes among this population group.
焦虑和抑郁是低收入和中等收入国家普遍存在的精神疾病。乳腺癌诊断带来的冲击及其对日常生活的影响使得适应这种情况变得棘手，从而引发焦虑和/或抑郁症状。本研究旨在确定坦桑尼亚达累斯萨拉姆海洋路癌症研究所（ORCI）被诊断为乳腺癌的女性中焦虑和抑郁症状的患病率及相关因素。
2023年5月至6月，我们采用连续抽样法对384名被诊断为乳腺癌的女性进行了一项分析性定量横断面研究。我们使用经过预测试的访谈式问卷收集数据，并使用社会科学统计软件包（IBM SPSS）第23版进行数据分析。进行双变量和多变量逻辑回归分析以确定与焦虑和抑郁症状相关的因素，p值<0.05被认为具有统计学意义。
我们发现焦虑（44.8%）和抑郁（50.5%）的患病率相对较高。不知道自己癌症分期的参与者[调整后的优势比（aOR）：0.39；95%置信区间（CI）：0.19，0.83；p = 0.014]；处于癌症早期的参与者[aOR：0.36；95%CI：0.16，0.81；p = 0.014]；希望水平低的参与者[aOR：0.52；95%CI：0.31，0.86；p = 0.012]；以及认知重评低的参与者[aOR：2.09；95%CI：1.33，3.28；p < 0.001]与焦虑显著相关。没有伴侣的参与者[aOR：2.56；95%CI：1.59，4.10；p < 0.001]；不知道自己癌症分期的参与者[aOR：0.38；95%CI：0.17，0.86；p = 0.020]；接受放射治疗的参与者[aOR：3.86；95%CI：1.34，11.08；p = 0.012]；以及认知重评低的参与者[aOR：2.41；95%CI：1.52，3.83；p < 0.001]与抑郁显著相关。
在本研究中，抑郁和焦虑症状在被诊断为乳腺癌的女性中非常普遍。我们强烈建议提供适当的护理，包括由心理健康专家进行常规筛查，以改善这一人群的治疗效果。
