| Summary: | Introduction: Previously, palliative care was an approach brought forward in
terminal patients when treatment options were exhausted. However, today, the
opinion that palliative care should be initiated in addition to other treatment
modalities starting from the moment of diagnosing a life-threatening disease
has become prominent. The symptoms of depression and anxiety are common in
patients with chronic diseases such as cancer. Moving on from the fact that
these findings also manifest in the relatives of patients, this study aims to
identify the symptoms of depression and anxiety and to assess these symptoms in
the relatives of patients hospitalized in the extensive palliative care center.Methods: Designed as a
descriptive cross-sectional study, this survey included a single group without
control and was performed by conducting face-to-face interviews after obtaining
consent from patient relatives. The questionnaire prepared consisted of the
Beck anxiety scale (BAS), Beck depression scale (BDS), the hospital anxiety and
depression scale (HADS) together with sociodemographic variables. The study included 102 volunteers and was
carried out over a three-month period. Sociodemographic data of the patients
were summarized using descriptive statistics. Subgroup analyses were performed
using appropriate parametric and non-parametric tests.Results: The study enrolled 102 participants providing care to a relative in
the palliative care service. Among these, 61 (59.8%) were women, and 41 (40.2%)
were men. The risk for depression was identified as 43.1% (n=44) according to
the BAS, and as 91.2% (n=93) according to the HADS. The anxiety rate was 66.7%
(n=68) according to the BAS. Among these, 36.7% (n=25) demonstrated mild
anxiety, 30.8% (n=21) demonstrated moderate anxiety and 32.3% (n=22)
demonstrated severe anxiety. According to HADS, the risk for anxiety was 72.5%
(n=74).
Conclusion: The fact that the presence of depression and anxiety was significant
in the caregivers of patients in the palliative care service warrants careful follow-up
and necessary support of both the patients and their caregivers for mood
disorders.
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