Mental Health Care Utilization and its Barriers among Iranian Breast Cancer Survivors: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Depression and anxiety are common comorbidities complicating the care of breastcancer patients, but many patients do not receive the needed care. We aimed to assess utilization ofmental health care and its barriers in breast cancer survivors.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conduc...

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Main Authors: Hassan Joulaei, Mohamad Parhizkar, Maryam Fatemi, Sima Afrashteh, Pardis Parhizkar, Majid Akrami, zohre Foroozanfar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Shiraz University of Medical Sciences 2024-01-01
Series:International Journal of Community Based Nursing and Midwifery
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ijcbnm.sums.ac.ir/article_49680_b030aec10f023eef53030e55531e3700.pdf
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author Hassan Joulaei
Mohamad Parhizkar
Maryam Fatemi
Sima Afrashteh
Pardis Parhizkar
Majid Akrami
zohre Foroozanfar
author_facet Hassan Joulaei
Mohamad Parhizkar
Maryam Fatemi
Sima Afrashteh
Pardis Parhizkar
Majid Akrami
zohre Foroozanfar
author_sort Hassan Joulaei
collection DOAJ
description Background: Depression and anxiety are common comorbidities complicating the care of breastcancer patients, but many patients do not receive the needed care. We aimed to assess utilization ofmental health care and its barriers in breast cancer survivors.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 311 patients with breast cancer, in Iran,November 2021 to March 2022. Perceived need and utilization of mental health care and barriers toservice utilization were measured based on self-report. Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 andMultidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were used to assess depression, anxiety, and stressas well as social support, respectively. A linear and logistic regression model was used to analyze thedata using SPSS version 22. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: 70.1% of the participants perceived need for mental health care, 28.0% of them had used mentalhealth services, and 72% were classified as having unmet needs. The most common perceived barrierto service use was patients’ self-adequacy. The prevalence of extremely severe levels of depression,anxiety, and stress was 14.8%, 23.5%, and 10.6%. Also, 48.6%, 78.5%, and 75.6% of patients receiveda high level of social support from friends, family, and significant others.Conclusion: Findings highlight a substantial unmet need for mental health care and low utilization ofmental health services among breast cancer survivors. Given the significant prevalence of depression,anxiety, and stress in this population, it is imperative to address the underutilization of mental healthservices and to further examine the barriers preventing patients from seeking the care they require.
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spelling doaj.art-cb796a8dfcfe453a9b7118ba5d10b3342024-04-07T09:19:53ZengShiraz University of Medical SciencesInternational Journal of Community Based Nursing and Midwifery2322-24762322-48352024-01-01121445610.30476/ijcbnm.2023.99133.228949680Mental Health Care Utilization and its Barriers among Iranian Breast Cancer Survivors: A Cross-sectional StudyHassan Joulaei0Mohamad Parhizkar1Maryam Fatemi2Sima Afrashteh3Pardis Parhizkar4Majid Akrami5zohre Foroozanfar6Health Policy Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran;Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran;Department of Psychology, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran;Clinical Research Development Center, The Persian Gulf Martyrs Hospital, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran;Student Research Committee, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran;Breast Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran;HIV/AIDS Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IranBackground: Depression and anxiety are common comorbidities complicating the care of breastcancer patients, but many patients do not receive the needed care. We aimed to assess utilization ofmental health care and its barriers in breast cancer survivors.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 311 patients with breast cancer, in Iran,November 2021 to March 2022. Perceived need and utilization of mental health care and barriers toservice utilization were measured based on self-report. Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 andMultidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were used to assess depression, anxiety, and stressas well as social support, respectively. A linear and logistic regression model was used to analyze thedata using SPSS version 22. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: 70.1% of the participants perceived need for mental health care, 28.0% of them had used mentalhealth services, and 72% were classified as having unmet needs. The most common perceived barrierto service use was patients’ self-adequacy. The prevalence of extremely severe levels of depression,anxiety, and stress was 14.8%, 23.5%, and 10.6%. Also, 48.6%, 78.5%, and 75.6% of patients receiveda high level of social support from friends, family, and significant others.Conclusion: Findings highlight a substantial unmet need for mental health care and low utilization ofmental health services among breast cancer survivors. Given the significant prevalence of depression,anxiety, and stress in this population, it is imperative to address the underutilization of mental healthservices and to further examine the barriers preventing patients from seeking the care they require.https://ijcbnm.sums.ac.ir/article_49680_b030aec10f023eef53030e55531e3700.pdfbreast neoplasmscancer survivorshealth services accessibilitymental health services
spellingShingle Hassan Joulaei
Mohamad Parhizkar
Maryam Fatemi
Sima Afrashteh
Pardis Parhizkar
Majid Akrami
zohre Foroozanfar
Mental Health Care Utilization and its Barriers among Iranian Breast Cancer Survivors: A Cross-sectional Study
International Journal of Community Based Nursing and Midwifery
breast neoplasms
cancer survivors
health services accessibility
mental health services
title Mental Health Care Utilization and its Barriers among Iranian Breast Cancer Survivors: A Cross-sectional Study
title_full Mental Health Care Utilization and its Barriers among Iranian Breast Cancer Survivors: A Cross-sectional Study
title_fullStr Mental Health Care Utilization and its Barriers among Iranian Breast Cancer Survivors: A Cross-sectional Study
title_full_unstemmed Mental Health Care Utilization and its Barriers among Iranian Breast Cancer Survivors: A Cross-sectional Study
title_short Mental Health Care Utilization and its Barriers among Iranian Breast Cancer Survivors: A Cross-sectional Study
title_sort mental health care utilization and its barriers among iranian breast cancer survivors a cross sectional study
topic breast neoplasms
cancer survivors
health services accessibility
mental health services
url https://ijcbnm.sums.ac.ir/article_49680_b030aec10f023eef53030e55531e3700.pdf
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AT maryamfatemi mentalhealthcareutilizationanditsbarriersamongiranianbreastcancersurvivorsacrosssectionalstudy
AT simaafrashteh mentalhealthcareutilizationanditsbarriersamongiranianbreastcancersurvivorsacrosssectionalstudy
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