Insecure attachment predicts depression and death anxiety in advanced cancer patients

Palliative & Supportive Care
Katharina ScheffoldA Mehnert

Abstract

ABSTRACTObjective:The prevalence of depression as well as adjustment and anxiety disorders is high in advanced cancer patients, and research exploring intraindividual factors leading to high psychological distress is underrepresented. Cancer patients' feelings about security and trust in their healthcare providers have a significant influence on how they deal with their disease. The perception of social support is affected by patients' attachment styles and influences their reactions to feelings of dependency and loss of control. We therefore aimed to explore attachment and its association with psychological distress in patients with advanced cancer. We obtained data from the baseline measurements of a randomized controlled trial in advanced cancer patients. Patients were sampled from the university medical centers of Hamburg and Leipzig, Germany. The main outcome measures included the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Death and Dying Distress Scale, the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale, and the Experience in Close Relationships Scale for assessing attachment insecurity. A total of 162 patients were included. We found that 64% of patients were insecurely attached (fearful-avoidant 31%, dismissing 17%, and preoccupied 16%). A d...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 28, 2020·Supportive Care in Cancer : Official Journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer·Xin-Yi XuLi Chen
Mar 20, 2019·Supportive Care in Cancer : Official Journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer·Katharina ScheffoldAnja Mehnert-Theuerkauf
Jan 4, 2022·Journal of Palliative Medicine·Daniel ShalevJoseph A Greer

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