Factors influencing psychological distress and effects of stepwise psychological care on quality of life in patients undergoing chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery.

Objective: To investigate factors influencing psychological distress and the effect of stepwise psychological care on the quality of life in patients undergoing chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 96 patients undergoing chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery. The patients were evenly divided into a routine care group (control group) and a stepwise psychological care group (observation group) according to the care method. The correlation between the psychological distress and the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) score was investigated. The impact of care intervention on the psychological distress, SAS score, and the quality of life of patients before and after intervention were explored. Relevant factors that affect the psychological distress of patients undergoing chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery were also investigated.

Results: A univariate analysis showed that age, residence, monthly income, education level, medical insurance status, occupation, surgery method, and anxiety score all contributed to the degree of psychological distress in patients with breast cancer mastectomy (all P<0.05). A multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that young age, low monthly income, no medical insurance, mastectomy, and high SAS score were risk factors for the psychological distress of patients who underwent mastectomy (all P<0.05). The psychological distress was positively correlated with anxiety scores of patients undergoing chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery (r=0.249, P=0.005). Both psychological distress and anxiety scores of the observation group after stepwise psychological care were significantly lower than those before treatment and those of the control group (both P<0.05). After treatment, both groups of patients showed better scores in additional concerning items, social/family well-being, functional well-being, physical well-being, emotional well-being, and overall quality of life than before treatment (all P<0.05). Of note, the observation group demonstrated better quality of life than that of the control group.

Conclusion: Age, low monthly income, radical mastectomy, and no medical insurance prior to undergoing chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery are independent factors that affect psychological distress. The distress was positively correlated with anxiety. Thus, stepwise psychological care may alleviate patients' psychological distress and anxiety.