Social Issues and Emotional Distress amongst Patients with Cancer Receiving Palliative Care in a Tertiary Cancer...

Cancer can lead to social isolation as patients and families may withdraw from social activities due to physical symptoms or the emotional distress of the disease. The purpose of the study was to assess the social issues and emotional distress amongst palliative care patients with cancer, to identify the correlation between social issues and emotional distress and to find the association between emotional distress and sociodemographic variables amongst palliative care patients with cancer attending the Department of Cancer Palliative Medicine, Tertiary Cancer Centre.

The study used a descriptive survey design with a consecutive sampling technique. Social issues were assessed using a five-point Likert scale that the researcher developed and validated, and emotional distress was measured using the standardised National Comprehensive Cancer Network Distress thermometer scale. The validity and reliability of the rating scale were assessed, and the content validity index is 0.8, and Cronbach's alpha is >0.07, respectively. Between October and December 2023, data were collected from 68 patients with cancer who satisfied the inclusion criteria after obtaining Institutional Ethical Clearance and informed consent from study participants. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Majority (54.4%) of them were under the age of 60-75 years, 60.3% were men, and 83.3% belonged to a low socioeconomic position. About 2.9% of them had distant metastases, and about 27.9% of them had a primary tumour site in the pulmonary region. Ninety-one percent of survey participants reported experiencing moderate-to-severe emotional distress due to cancer, and around 50% of them felt that cancer was a manageable social issue. On further subanalysis of moderate-to-severe emotional distress, the majority of them faced moderate emotional distress (69.1%), while 25% faced severe emotional distress. In addition, social difficulties and emotional distress amongst cancer patients were found to be significantly correlated (P < 0.01; r = 0.47).

The study reiterates the fact that social issues have a relationship with emotional distress amongst patients with cancer. Nurses and healthcare workers should take timely efforts to address the underlying issues which result in enhanced patient well-being.