Demoralization and Its Association with Quality of Life, Sleep Quality, Spiritual Interests, and Suicide Risk in Breast Cancer Inpatients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Ting-Gang Chang, Chih-Chiang Hung, Pei-Ching Huang, Chiann-Yi Hsu and Ting-Ting Yen ()
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Ting-Gang Chang: Department of Psychiatry, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung 407612, Taiwan
Chih-Chiang Hung: Division of Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung 407612, Taiwan
Pei-Ching Huang: Cancer Prevention and Control Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung 407612, Taiwan
Chiann-Yi Hsu: Biostatistics Task Force, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung 407612, Taiwan
Ting-Ting Yen: School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yung Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-15

Abstract: With decreasing mortality, the quality of life, spiritual needs, and mental health of breast cancer patients have become increasingly important. Demoralization is a poor prognostic factor for cancer patients. The extent of demoralization in breast cancer patients and its association with these factors remains unclear. This cross-sectional study was conducted at a Taiwanese medical center. We enrolled 121 participants (34 with high demoralization and 87 with low demoralization, as per the Mandarin Version of Demoralization Scale). High demoralization was associated with reduced quality of life, sleep quality, and spiritual interests. Multivariate analyses revealed that the scores of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire ≥ 62.5 (OR = 0.21, p = 0.002) and Spiritual Interests Related to Illness Tool Chinese Version ≥ 3.66 (OR = 0.11, p < 0.001) were associated with low demoralization. Demoralized patients with depression had a poorer quality of life and sleep quality. Although not statistically significant, depressed and demoralized participants were at a higher risk of suicide. Cancer patients with both depression and demoralization had the worst prognosis. Breast cancer patients exhibited demoralization when they had unmet bio-psycho-social-spiritual needs. An early assessment of demoralization may improve holistic healthcare for breast cancer patients.

Keywords: demoralization; breast cancer; quality of life; spiritual interests; suicide; depression (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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