Abstract
BACKGROUND: To improve psychosocial cancer care in Europe, more information is needed on psychosocial function and quality of life (QoL) among cancer patients in European countries.
AIMS: To investigate differences in psychosocial function between cancer survivors and the general population in Europe, in relation to national economic status and personal factors.
METHOD: Data were from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (Wave 6). Main outcomes were psychosocial functioning: activity limitations, income adequacy, loneliness, depression, and QoL. Factors possibly associated with the main outcomes were ever having cancer, gross domestic product (GDP), and personal factors (age, gender, education, marriage status, employment status, number of children, number of chronic diseases).
RESULTS: The study sample featured 6238 cancer survivors and 60,961 individuals without cancer aged 50 or older in 17 European countries and Israel. Levels of depression were higher and QoL was lower among cancer survivors compared to individuals without cancer and worse in low GDP countries, whereas differences in income adequacy and loneliness were not statistically significant. The interaction of cancer groups and country groups indicated a significant interactional effect on activity limitations, loneliness, depression, and QoL. In a multivariate regression analysis, personal factors, GDP, and being a cancer survivor predicted the main outcome variables.
CONCLUSIONS: Cancer has a persistent negative effect on survivors that is related to a country's GDP. Cancer survivors in low-GDP countries are affected by the consequences of cancer intertwined with the hardships of living in a low-GDP country.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 383-392 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Psycho-Oncology |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2023 |
Bibliographical note
© 2023 The Authors. Psycho-Oncology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Funding
The SHARE data collection has been funded by the European Commission, DG RTD through FP5 (QLK6‐CT‐2001‐00360), FP6 (SHARE‐I3: RII‐CT‐2006‐062193, COMPARE: CIT5‐CT‐2005‐028857, SHARELIFE: CIT4‐CT‐2006‐028812), FP7 (SHARE‐PREP: GA N°211909, SHARE‐LEAP: GA N°227822, SHARE M4: GA N°261982, DASISH: GA N°283646) and Horizon 2020 (SHARE‐DEV3: GA N°676536, SHARE‐COHESION: GA N°870628, SERISS: GA N°654221, SSHOC: GA N°823782, SHARE‐COVID19: GA N°101015924) and by DG Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion through VS 2015/0195, VS 2016/0135, VS 2018/0285, VS 2019/0332, and VS 2020/0313. Additional funding from the German Ministry of Education and Research, the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, the U.S. National Institute on Aging (U01_AG09740‐13S2, P01_AG005842, P01_AG08291, P30_AG12815, R21_AG025169, Y1‐AG‐4553‐01, IAG_BSR06‐11, OGHA_04‐064, HHSN271201300071C, RAG052527A) and from various national funding sources is gratefully acknowledged (see www.share‐project.org).
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| European Commission, DG RTD | |
| National Institute on Aging | P01_AG005842, U01_AG09740‐13S2, RAG052527A, OGHA_04‐064, P30_AG12815, HHSN271201300071C, IAG_BSR06‐11, R21_AG025169, P01_AG08291, Y1‐AG‐4553‐01 |
| Seventh Framework Programme | 261982, 283646, 211909, 227822 |
| Sixth Framework Programme | RII‐CT‐2006‐062193, CIT5‐CT‐2005‐028857, CIT4‐CT‐2006‐028812 |
| Fifth Framework Programme | QLK6‐CT‐2001‐00360 |
| Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung | |
| Max-Planck-Gesellschaft | |
| Horizon 2020 | VS 2015/0195, VS 2020/0313, VS 2019/0332, VS 2018/0285, 654221, 676536, 870628, VS 2016/0135, 101015924, 823782 |
Keywords
- Child
- Humans
- Quality of Life/psychology
- Cross-Sectional Studies
- Socioeconomic Factors
- Income
- Aging
- Neoplasms