A New Take on a Resource-Based Model of Quality of Life in Hemato-Oncological Patients: Demographic, Personal, and Social Factors

Trait emotional intelligence and its impact on quality of life, anxiety, and depression in patients with gastric cancer

Aims/Background Trait emotional intelligence is associated with anxiety and depression symptoms and quality of life in cancer patients. However, studies on the relationship of trait emotional intelligence with anxiety, depression, and quality of life in gastric cancer patients are limited. This study investigates the relationship of trait emotional intelligence with depression and quality of life in gastric cancer patients to provide a theoretical basis for clinical management. Methods A total of 270 patients with gastric cancer treated in our hospital from July 2020 to July 2023 were selected, of which 31 patients with missing questionnaire entries and missed visits were screened out, resulting in the enrolment of 239 gastric cancer patients in this study. In this survey, self-administered general information questionnaires, namely Trait Emotional Intelligence Short Form (TEIQue-SF), European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used. Results TEIQue-SF total scores were positively correlated with QLQ-C30 scores (p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with HADS-A and HADS-D scores (p < 0.001). TEIQue-SF total score was a superior positive predictor of the QLQ-C30 score (β = 0.412, p < 0.001) and a superior negative predictor of the HADS score (β = -0.740, p < 0.001). TEIQue-SF total score (β = 0.141, p = 0.006) and HADS score (β = -0.665, p < 0.001) were good predictors of QLQ-C30 score. The direct effect of TEIQue-SF total score on QLQ-C30 score was 0.141, while HADS score between TEIQue-SF total score and QLQ-C30 score had a mediated effect value of 0.492. Conclusion Trait emotional intelligence not only directly affects the quality of life, but also indirectly affects the quality of life through anxiety and depression. Clinicians should pay attention to the anxiety, depression, and emotional intelligence of patients with gastric cancer to help them improve their quality of life.

Health-related quality of life in hemato-oncology patients: role of informativeness and doctor-patient communication

Background

The patient's information about the disease and doctor-patient communication are both constructs whose importance is emphasized in the theory, but much less frequently researched and used in the practice.

Objective

This study aimed to determine whether certain facets of health-related quality of life of hemato-oncology patients in Croatia could be predicted based on patients' sociodemographic data, the disease's determinants, the patients' information about their disease and the quality of doctor-patient communication.

Methods

60 women and 54 men with diagnoses of both leukemia and lymphoma have participated in filling out questionnaires. The survey consisted of a sociodemographic questionnaire, EORTC QLQ-C30(version 3), EORTC QLQ-INFO25 and the Doctor-Patient Communication Questionnaire.

Results

Patients' sociodemographic data, the disease's determinants, the patients' information about their disease and the quality of doctor-patient communication predicted 26.8 % variance of global health status (F = 2.756, p \< .01), 35.7% variance of physical functioning (F = 4.196, p \< .01), 23.3% variance of role functioning (F = 2.291, p \< .05), 29.9% variance of emotional functioning (F = 3.215, p \< .01) and 27.9% of social functioning (F = 2.881, p \< .01). Predictors that significantly contributed to the change in variance of health-related quality of life were age, duration of diagnosis, the existence of comorbidity, frequency of hospitalization, talking with the psychologist after getting the diagnosis and information.

Conclusion

The study offers valuable insights into an under-researched patient population and a better understanding of their health-related quality of life. The results indicate the importance of information that can be implemented in everyday clinical practice, and pave the way for further research on doctor-patient communication.

Correlation between functional disability and quality of life among rural elderly in Anhui province, China: a cross-sectional study

Objective

We aimed to explore the correlation between functional disability and quality of life (QoL). And exploring the interaction of functional disability, basic demographic characteristics and health-related information on QoL among the rural elderly in Anhui Province.

Methods

This study used multi-stage stratified cluster sampling in rural Anhui Province from January to July 2018 to conduct a cross-sectional survey of older adults who met the inclusion criteria. The Five-Dimensional European Quality Of Health Scale (EQ-5D) and the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS2.0) scale were used to evaluate the QoL and functional disability, and the basic demographic characteristics of the survey subjects were also collected. Using binary logistic and Classification and regression tree model (CART) models to analyze the data, explore the relationship between functional disability and QoL in the elderly.

Results

A total of 3491 older adults were included in the survey, and 3336 completed the entire survey, with an effective response rate of 95.56%. After adjusting for covariables, those who had limited in dimension of mobility (AOR=2.243, 95%CI: 1.743-2.885), getting along (AOR=1.615, 95%CI: 1.173-2.226), life activities (AOR=2.494, 95%CI:1.928-3.226), and social participation (AOR=2.218, 95%CI: 1.656-2.971) had a lower QoL. However, the dimension of cognition (AOR=0.477, 95%CI: 0.372-0.613) is a protective factor for QoL. Additionally, we also observe that 96.3% of those who were unemployed and limited in both mobility and life activities dimensions had a lower QoL, but among those who were robust in both mobility and social participation dimensions and not suffer from chronic diseases, 56.3% had a higher QoL.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that special attention should be paid to the elderly who are unemployed, have limited in cognition, getting along, social participation, mobility, life activities and cognition robust to improve their QoL. This research is of great significance for formulating targeted strategies and measures to improve the QoL for rural elderly.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-12363-7.

Psychological well-being in palliative care: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To review which are the most influential variables in achieving levels of psychological well-being at the end of life and to verify whether, as certain studies suggest, spirituality, resilience and social support are the pillars on which the psychological well-being construct is based.

METHOD

A systematic search through the Scopus, Pubmed and PsycInfo electronic databases was carried out using keywords such as: "wellbeing" OR "psychological-well-being" AND "resilience" AND "spirituality" AND "social support" AND "palliative care" and their multiple combinations.

RESULTS

Eleven studies were selected, in which terms such as spiritual well-being, absence of discomfort and quality of life were used in substitution of psychological well-being and a certain consensus was found regarding whether resilience, spirituality and social support are predictive variables of psychological well-being.

CONCLUSIONS

Resilience, social support and spirituality are highly relevant variables at the end of life and contribute decisively towards psychological well-being.

Trait emotional intelligence and quality of life among breast cancer patients: The mediating role of fear of cancer recurrence

BACKGROUND

Trait emotional intelligence and fear of cancer recurrence could predict quality of life, but the mechanism between the three is poorly understood.

METHODS

The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between trait emotional intelligence, fear of cancer recurrence and quality of life in patients with breast cancer. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 215 breast cancer patients recruited from two hospitals in China. Data were collected from December 2018 to April 2019. Questionnaires measured demographic and medical characteristics, trait emotional intelligence, fear of cancer recurrence and quality of life. Pearson correlation analysis and structural equation modelling were conducted to analyse the data.

RESULTS

As expected, trait emotional intelligence was positively related to quality of life and negatively correlated with fear of cancer recurrence. Fear of cancer recurrence was negatively associated with quality of life. This relationship between trait emotional intelligence and quality of life was mediated by fear of cancer recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

These results shed light on underlying mechanisms by which trait emotional intelligence affects quality of life. Trait emotional intelligence training could reduce fear of cancer recurrence to improve quality of life for cancer patients.

Health Related Quality of Life in Patients with Onco-hematological Diseases

Background

HRQoL is generally conceptualized as a broad multidimensional construct that refers to patients' perceptions of the impact of disease and its treatment on their physical, psychological, and social functioning and well-being. Little is known in patients with onco-hematological cancer in comparison with the general population and other chronic diseases.

Objective

We assessed HRQoL in patients diagnosed with haematological cancers in comparison with the general population and other chronic diseases.

Methods

The questionnaire Short Form (SF)-12 was administered to 62 patients with onco-hematological disease and results were compared with 702 controls (184 healthy people, 37 Major Depression, 201 Multiple Sclerosis; 23 Wilson disease; 46 Carotidal Atherosclerosis; 60 Celiac disease; 151 solid tumours).

Results

HRQoL in patients diagnosed with a haematological cancer was significantly worse in comparison with the general population (F= 43.853, p <0.00001) but similar when compared with solid tumour and other chronic diseases such as Major Depression and Carotid Atherosclerosis. In addition, HRQoL in patients diagnosed with a haematological cancer was significantly higher than that due to Celiac disease (p <0.00001) and Wilson's disease (p= 0.02), and lower than that due to Multiple Sclerosis (p= 0.032).

Conclusion

This study confirmed that haematological cancers negatively affects overall HRQoL. The results showed an impact of haematological cancers on HRQoL that is similar to what found in patients with solid tumors, Major Depression and Carotid Atherosclerosis. Current successful therapeutic strategy achieved in the treatment of haematological cancers not only positively impact on survival rate but also could improve the overall HRQoL.