TY - JOUR
T1 - Cancer and mental disorders in a national community sample
T2 - Findings from the National Comorbidity Survey
AU - Honda, Keiko
AU - Goodwin, Renee D.
PY - 2004/7/7
Y1 - 2004/7/7
N2 - Objective: To determine the association between cancer (past 12 months) and mental disorders (past 12 months) among community-dwelling adults. Methods: Data were drawn from the National Comorbidity Survey (n = 5,877), a representative household sample of adults aged 15-54 years in the United States. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between cancer and mental disorders, adjusting for differences in sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Cancer was significantly associated with increased rates of major depression [odds ratio (OR) = 3.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.4-8.8], drug dependence (OR = 3.6, 95% CI = 1.3-9.8), simple phobia (OR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.0-6.2) and agoraphobia (OR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.0-10.4). These associations persisted after adjusting for major sociodemographic factors, and sex plays a significant role in the association between cancer diagnosis and mental disorder, with cancer diagnosis having a stronger influence on major depression and drug dependence in men than in women. Conclusions: Clinicians and community health workers working with cancer survivors need to be not only alert for signs of clinical depression but also of co-occurring drug dependence and certain anxiety disorders so that appropriate referrals to mental health professionals can be made.
AB - Objective: To determine the association between cancer (past 12 months) and mental disorders (past 12 months) among community-dwelling adults. Methods: Data were drawn from the National Comorbidity Survey (n = 5,877), a representative household sample of adults aged 15-54 years in the United States. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between cancer and mental disorders, adjusting for differences in sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Cancer was significantly associated with increased rates of major depression [odds ratio (OR) = 3.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.4-8.8], drug dependence (OR = 3.6, 95% CI = 1.3-9.8), simple phobia (OR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.0-6.2) and agoraphobia (OR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.0-10.4). These associations persisted after adjusting for major sociodemographic factors, and sex plays a significant role in the association between cancer diagnosis and mental disorder, with cancer diagnosis having a stronger influence on major depression and drug dependence in men than in women. Conclusions: Clinicians and community health workers working with cancer survivors need to be not only alert for signs of clinical depression but also of co-occurring drug dependence and certain anxiety disorders so that appropriate referrals to mental health professionals can be made.
KW - Cancer
KW - Comorbidity
KW - Epidemiology
KW - Mental disorders
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=3042685356&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1159/000077742
DO - 10.1159/000077742
M3 - Article
C2 - 15184718
AN - SCOPUS:3042685356
VL - 73
SP - 235
EP - 242
JO - Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
JF - Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
SN - 0033-3190
IS - 4
ER -