Are preoperative sex-related differences of affective symptoms in primary brain tumor patients associated with postoperative histopathological grading?

Emotional concerns and coping strategies in Low Grade Glioma patients and reliability of their caregivers in reporting these concerns: Findings from a cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

To explore the emotional concerns and coping strategies of patients with Low Grade Glioma (LGG) and whether or not their caregivers are reliable in reporting these concerns as surrogate informants.

METHODS

An explorative cross-sectional study. Patients who had undergone a neurosurgical procedure at least one year before this study for LGG and who were capable of participating in a face-to-face interview were included. Each patient nominated a reference caregiver. Both the patient and the caregiver were interviewed independently, using the Beck Depression Inventory Scale, the State - Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Jalowiec Coping Scale.

MAIN RESULTS

Forty-six patients and 46 caregivers were included. The average scores of the Beck scale were homogeneous between patients and caregivers (7.76 [CI 95% 5.76-9.75] vs. 6.23 [CI 95% 4.57-7.90]; p = 0.102). Patients reported significantly greater state and trait anxiety (44.26 [CI 95% 40.21-48.31] and 37.95 [CI 95% 34.97-40.94]), respectively compared to their caregivers (40.28 [CI 95% 36.64-43.91] and 35.17 [CI 95% 32.16-38.18]). The coping strategies enacted were homogeneous between patients and caregivers (82.78 [CI 95% 77.21-88.35] vs (80.93 [CI 95% 76.32-85.55]; p = 0.102) while the kind of strategies adopted were significantly diverse.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients suffer from depression and greater state anxiety as compared to trait anxiety; moreover, they enact less than half of the available coping strategies. Caregivers may be involved as surrogate informants when necessary for health-care professionals to detect depression while more caution is advised for what concerns anxiety and the coping strategies enacted by patients.