Anxiety and Depression in Colorectal Cancer Survivors: Are there differences by sexual orientation?

Menée aux Etats-Unis par enquête téléphonique auprès de 480 patients ayant survécu à un cancer colorectal, cette étude analyse leurs symptômes d'anxiété et de dépression selon leur orientation sexuelle

Résumé en anglais

Objective : To examine sexual minority compared to heterosexual survivors’ health-related anxiety, anxiety, and depression.

Methods : Four-hundred-eighty eligible survivors participated in a telephone survey, which measured their anxiety and depression. These survivors were diagnosed with stage I, II, or III colorectal cancer an average of three years prior to the survey and were recruited from four cancer registries. As explanatory factors, we considered individual, social and contextual characteristics, prior psychological factors, psychological responses to cancer, and characteristics of cancer and its treatments. Using forward selection with generalized linear models or logistic regression models, we identified significant correlates for each outcome.

Results : Prior to adjusting for covariates, depression was similar for all survivors, while sexual minority survivors had worse health-related anxiety and anxiety compared to heterosexual survivors. After adjustment, these differences were no longer statistically significant. Individual, social and contextual characteristics, characteristics of cancer, and psychological responses to cancer explained 44% of the variance in anxiety and 60% of the variance in depression.

Conclusion : There are modifiable factors associated with health-related and generalized anxiety as well as depression that can be changed to improve cancer survivorship among diverse survivors.