University of Louisville
The Effects of Lifestyle on Psychological Distress in Lung Cancer Patients
Institution
University of Louisville
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Jamie Studts; Sandra Sephton
Abstract
Kentucky leads the country in lung cancer deaths at a rate 41.1% higher than the U.S. average. Both biomedical and psychosocial investigations of this disease are therefore especially relevant for Kentuckians. Lung cancer patients experience greater psychological distress than patients with all other cancer types. For example, a recent study reported psychological distress in nearly half (43%) of a sample of lung cancer patients. Lung cancer patients with high distress also have lower quality of life. We examined the relationships between lifestyle factors and psychological distress among 56 non-small cell lung cancer patients, with the hypothesis that health-related behavior (i.e. diet, exercise) would be associated with lower psychological distress (anxiety, depression). Patients completed the National Institutes of Health Fruit and Vegetable Screener, NIH Fat Screener, the exercise scale of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance SystemExercise, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale. Statistical analyses (bivariate correlations, hierarchal regression) will control for patients age, cancer stage at diagnosis, and relevant medications. Relationships between health behavior and psychological distress will be reported.
The Effects of Lifestyle on Psychological Distress in Lung Cancer Patients
Kentucky leads the country in lung cancer deaths at a rate 41.1% higher than the U.S. average. Both biomedical and psychosocial investigations of this disease are therefore especially relevant for Kentuckians. Lung cancer patients experience greater psychological distress than patients with all other cancer types. For example, a recent study reported psychological distress in nearly half (43%) of a sample of lung cancer patients. Lung cancer patients with high distress also have lower quality of life. We examined the relationships between lifestyle factors and psychological distress among 56 non-small cell lung cancer patients, with the hypothesis that health-related behavior (i.e. diet, exercise) would be associated with lower psychological distress (anxiety, depression). Patients completed the National Institutes of Health Fruit and Vegetable Screener, NIH Fat Screener, the exercise scale of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance SystemExercise, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale. Statistical analyses (bivariate correlations, hierarchal regression) will control for patients age, cancer stage at diagnosis, and relevant medications. Relationships between health behavior and psychological distress will be reported.